Trials of Beta
by Beta-Solution
Summary: The adventures of Beta as he unravels the mysteries surrounding Ragol... Originalish story, R&R please? This is a complete Fanfiction.
1. Prelude: Arrival

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Trials of Beta

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Prelude: Arrival

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My name is Beta, I am a FOmar, Section ID Viridia, Class A Force. I am a Hunter on board the Pioneer 2...

Should I explain the Pioneer project? Sure, why not. The Pioneer Project was a project born out of desperation. Our home world, Corel, was tearing itself apart. There was nothing we could do to stop the planet from destroying itself. So a series of unmanned probes were sent into deep space to find us a new, suitable homeworld. Ragol was one of few planets deemed suitable for colonization. Pioneer 1 went ahead of the main fleet to verify that Ragol was suitable. Once arriving and confirming the status of Ragol, it sent a message back to the fleet. That's us, Pioneer 2. Pioneer 1 established the Central Dome on Ragol and began colonizing. Seven years later, Pioneer 2 arrived. Establishing orbit around Ragol, Pioneer 2 opened a com channel with the Central Dome for landing guidance, when a massive explosion occurred near the Central Dome, an explosion so huge that Ragol visibly shook.

We have been orbiting the planet Ragol for a little over three weeks, trying to figure out what happened to Pioneer 1, and what caused that huge explosion which shook the planet. Only Class A-level Hunters are allowed to go down to Ragol. While some went down onto the planet as soon as Pioneer 2 entered into orbit, I choose to stay behind, to train myself a bit more in VR unit. So far, no one has been able to solve the mystery surrounding the explosion or the loss of communications with Pioneer 1... But in the blink of an eye, all that will change...

This is my story. This is my trial by fire...


	2. Chapter One: Awakening One's Potential

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Trials of Beta

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Chapter One: Awakening One's Potential

"Beta..." The voice of Lunehhy was soft yet cheerful and full of life, Beta was certain angels had voices like that. The tall brown haired man turned to the shorter, yet far more experienced red headed female, a RAmarl by the name of Lunehhy. Like always she wore a black leather outfit, complete with a green beret which sat atop her head at a slight angle. Her face was war painted again, that could mean only one thing: She was getting ready to go down to Ragol to hunt.

"Yes, Lunehhy?" Beta responded to his friend, a smile playing across his lips. Beta himself wore a long black robe, a dark thin veil hiding the lower half of his face.

"Surprise!" With a flourish Lunehhy produced from behind her back a gift wrapped box, a red ribbon wrapped around it with a fancy bow on top. Presenting it to Beta, Lunehhy waited for him to take it, which he did.

"For me?" Beta asked in mock surprise. This is the second gift she's given him in the past two days, the first being a Shadow Rod. What was she up to? "I wonder what it could be?" Lunehhy rocked back and forth on her heels as Beta meticulously unwraps the present and opens the box. A gasp of surprise sounds from Beta as from the now open box pops out a dark blue Sato type Mag. "A... A Sato? Thank you!" Beta hugged his friend, the Sato Mag recognizing Beta as it's master and moving to float over his left shoulder. The Mag was very cat-like, with pointy ears sitting atop it's spherical head. It's body was slim, with two small 'hands' on it's underside. Completing the look was the bushy, fox-like tail. All in all, the Sato was very cute, one of the main reasons Beta was infatuated with it.

Lunehhy giggled, returning the embrace. "You've been talking about wanting one for the longest, so I went and raised one for you." She beamed with pride.

Beta was overwhelmed. Lunehhy raised it, herself? "You did that, for me?" He asked as he released Lunehhy.

"Of course, silly head!" Lunehhy exclaimed cheerfully, winking at Beta. The Sato chirped, wanting just a little attention, which it promptly received, in the form of Beta rubbing the top of it's head with one finger. It cooed in pleasure, it's tail waging happily, enjoying the attention very much. Beta was so absorbed in bonding with his Mag, he didn't notice Lunehhy sneak off away from him...

Just outside the Residential Area, Lunehhy meet up with the HUcaseal HK-55. The female android, red and black in color with glowing blood red eyes, was resting against the wall next to the entrance to the Apartments. She was Lunehhy's hunting partner, whenever she went down to Ragol, HK-55 was always with her. They were an inseparable team...

"You ready?" HK asked in a flat tone. Lunehhy nodded, her face and expression deadly serious.

"Let's do this thing." She stated as herself and HK headed for the transporter room. They got no more then a couple steps when the voice of Beta rang out behind him.

"Hey! You guys going hunting? Let me come along!" Beta yelled as he ran through the double doors of the Residential Area, Shadow Rod in hand, his new Sato cruising along behind him. Lunehhy turned to look at HK-55, who promptly shook her head.

"No, you're too weak, you'll only be a burden." HK said harshly. Tact was something she wasn't known for. Beta got a disgusted look as he slowed his pace to a halt, standing before the two.

"Too weak? I am not weak!" He retorted angrily. If the android could have snorted, it would have.

"This isn't just a simple hunting mission, this is..." HK started, then halted, as if she decided to not elaborate any further. "Never mind. Just know that you aren't strong enough to be of any help to us."

Beta looked to Lunehhy in despair, who just shrugged helplessly. "Sorry Beta, but it's true. Stay here, you'll be safe. I don't want anything to happen to you."

HK-55 crossed to stand in front of Beta, her blood red eyes locking with his. They were about the same height, "This is for your own good." She said. He didn't even see it coming, HK's balled up fist slamming into his stomach, doubling him over. Stars flashed before his eyes. As he slid to the ground in a heap, he could hear Lunehhy cry out and say.

"Did you HAVE to hit him?" To which HK replied, rather coldly he noted, "He'll survive..." The two kept talking, but Beta found that his world washed over gray as he slipped into unconsciousness...

He awoke a few hours later in the sickbay, a pink haired Nurse standing over him. "Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah... Who brought me in?" Beta asked, rubbing his stomach and wincing. He had a bruise there.

"Some android. She said you got mugged. There was a Ranger with her too, they left after leaving you in my charge. Do you remember who mugged you?"

Beta blinked. _Mugged? Huh? HK! That stupid android!_ "No... I don't, but I have a good idea. Can I leave?"

"Well, sure. You'll have a nasty bruise on your stomach for a while, but other then that you're in perfect health."

Beta didn't say another word, merely sliding off the bed and reaching for his Shadow Rod. His Sato was there, eyeing him sadly. He rubbed the Mag's head.

"Before you leave, you have to pay us 10 Meseta." The Nurse said.

Beta grumbled under his breath and fished 10 Meseta out of his purse, dropping the coins into the Nurse's open hand. "There you go."

"Thank you! Please be careful!" The Nurse said as he left the sickbay.

Storming back to his two room Apartment, Beta threw his Shadow Rod at the far wall across from the door in fury, this outburst causing the Sato to make a soft whimpering sound. His blood boiling, Beta's fists clenched and unclenched themselves seemingly without his knowledge.

"Stupid Android. I'm not weak... I'll show you! I'll become stronger, I may only be just a Force, but I'm still a Class A Hunter!" He proclaimed outloud, then crossed through the living room into the bedroom, throwing himself onto the bed, tearing off his veil with one hand in the process and tossing it mindlessly aside. Crossing his arms over his chest, Beta stared hard at the ceiling, anger and contempt twisting his face into an unsavory frown. His mind was busy at work, coming up with ways to make himself stronger.  
_I can't use the VR Unit anymore... Maybe I should go down to Ragol? Yeah, go down, get some first hand experience... But by myself? No, not by myself. I should hire someone to go with me and help me train... In fact, that's what I'll do! I'll go down right now to the Hunter's Guild and hire someone to train me!_

His mind made up, Beta swung his legs over the side of the bed and got hurriedly to his feet, stooping and snatching up his veil to put it back on his face. He had about 30 thousand Meseta in the bank. He could hire someone at 700 Meseta a day, and would be able to train for well over a month. Already his frown was gone, replaced by a grin as he ran out his Apartment, Sato in tow. Beta abruptly halted midway down the hallway, something coming to his attention unexpectedly. He turned to look at the Sato. "I think I'm going to give you a name... How does Kilala sound to you?"

The Mag cooed curiously, then bobbed up and down happily, making cheerful chirping sounds, giving it's approval of the name. Beta's grin widen. "Kilala it is then." He said as he rubbed the top of Kilala's head with his index finger for a moment before he resumed his original task of running down to the local Hunter's Guild to file out the form needed to hire a Hunter.

The Hunter's Guild was a large, spacious room, with some tables for Hunters to come and sit and talk amongst each other. Directly across from the automatic door was a bay view port, allowing the Hunters to gaze upon the surface of Ragol. Standing behind the counter was a single blonde female dressed in blue, she was gazing out the view port on Ragol. She was the person he had to talk to, and so he crossed the room to her. As he neared, the receptionist noticed him and spoke up, reciting her line.

"Enrich your life! This is the Hunter's Guild, welcome. We can assist yo-" She started, before Beta simply shook his head, cutting her short.

"I'm looking to hire a hunter." He said flatly. The receptionist blinks, then oohs softly.

"Very well, you'll need to fill out this form. Put down your name, a brief description of the job, as well as how much you'll pay, and then return the form to me." She stated as she withdrew a form and a pen for Beta from under the counter. Passing these over to the FOmar, the receptionist resumed idly staring out the bay view. Slightly perturbed by the fact that they were still using pen and paper in this day and age, Beta found an empty table and began to fill out the form. Within moments he returns the form to the receptionist, who smiles and thanks him.

"Please come back. The Hunter's Guild helps to enrich your life!" She said as Beta left the Guild room. It was her parting line.

It would be four days before Beta would receive a reply to his job offering. It came in the form of a Simple Mail, the Hunter's Guild alerting him that someone was willing to take the job, and that he should come down to the Hunter's Guild to meet the Hunter. And so here he was, in the Hunter's Guild, a HUmar standing before him.

"You Beta?" The blue haired man asked. He wore full body blue armor, modulated to allow for maximum mobility. His blue hair was short, coming down to his neck. What Beta noticed most about him was the scar over his right eye. Judging by the way he carried himself, this man must be a very experienced Hunter.

"Um... Yes, I am. And you are?" Beta asked hesitantly.

"Alex D. So I understand you want someone to help you train?"

"Yeah. Basically, I want you to train me to fight. I can use magic, but I want to know how to fight." Beta said, "Think you can handle that?"

Alex chuckled, his shoulders rising and falling. "Yeah, I think I can. So, shall we start?" With a nod, Beta followed the HUmar to the transporter. The thick blast doors which separated the transporter from the rest of Pioneer 2 rose up as the two men neared it. The guards posted outside it stood unwavering. They were the first line of defense in case a monster somehow managed to get to a transport pad on Ragol and came up to Pioneer 2. Although the chances of that actually happening are extremely rare, it was always better to be safe then sorry. "Where to?" Alex asked as he stood next to a computer.

"Hmmm... Put us down anywhere." Was Beta's response as he himself went and stood on the large, circular pad in the center of the room. Blue rings of light rose from the edge of the pad, disappearing into the ceiling. He was very nervous, and excited too. This would be his first time going down to Ragol. Without another word, Alex D. selected a destination and stood on the transporter pad. The console chimed and Beta instinctually closed his eyes as his body was converted into pure energy and shot down to Ragol, were a smaller pad waited, reverting Beta back to his solid matter form. The trip took the span of a blink of an eye. Technology was simply amazing.

Beta looked to his left, making sure Alex was okay. The older hunter was already off the pad, striding into the wilderness, his blue Photon Saber out and ignited. "Huh? Whoa! Wait!" Beta called out as he ran to catch up to Alex D.


	3. Chapter Two: Relinquish The Soul

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Trials of Beta

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Chapter Two: Relinquish The Soul

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Three days of intense physical training pass in the forests around the Central Dome on Ragol's largest continent. Alex was helping me become physically stronger. It was nightfall on the fourth day when I received a disturbing Simple Mail...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Beta voraciously tore into the hot cooked meat, tearing the flesh off the bone and chewing it. Five days ago he wouldn't have been able to even think about dining on the flesh of a Booma, one of the more common monsters that inhabited the forests. The Booma was an odd sort of animal. It was man sized, walked up right, covered in thick brown fur, and had three long claws on each of it's hands. Like all the other creatures on Ragol, Boomas are very vicious, attacking without warning or provocation. It was one of these Boomas that Alex and Beta converted into dinner.

Alex chuckled, watching the FOmar stuff his face from across the campfire he had made. He too had a leg of the Booma. It yielded lots of meat, most of which Alex was smoking to make into beef jerky. Maybe he'd sell the smoked meat on Pioneer 2 and make a nice profit. Smirking, Alex followed Beta's lead, digging into his dinner before it got cold.

"Oh God, who knew something so mean could be so delicious?" Beta exclaimed as he tossed aside the strip leg bone, "Wow, you gotta teach me how to make that some time."

"Maybe. Heh heh heh." Alex chuckled thoughtfully, using a splinter of bone to pick some chewed up meat from his teeth. "Hey, not to be rude or anything, but what's up with the veil?" He asked the other as he return the black silk veil to his face.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Beta asked innocently, attaching the clasps which held his veil securely.

"Why do you always wear it?" Alex probed.

"I just do." Beta retorted with just a tad touch of attitude as he fed a small chuck of meat to Kilala. "Why? Does it creep you out or something?"

"No, Just curious. That's all." Alex replied with a shrug.

"Hmmm... Mind If I ask how you got that scar?" Beta motioned with a fork towards Alex's right eye.

"Oh, this? Got it from a Booma my first day on Ragol. Heh! I was lucky it was just a little scratch." Alex chortled as nostalgia set in. "I can still see out my right eye, just not as good as it used to be."

"Um... Why don't you get cosmetic surgery to cover it up, or something?" The question was legit. Beta figured Alex kept the scar for some macho reason.

"Hell no. Women love scars. It makes them sympathetic!" Alex explained, his Bana Mag making a mechanical whirring sound resembling a laugh.

Beta's eyebrow twitched. "Um... Yeah... Sure, if you say so..." Beta shrugged, stroking Kilala's back with one hand. The Sato purred pleasurably. A sudden double beep interrupted their conversation. Beta's Simple Mailer was chiming, alerting him to a new message. Curious as to who would send him mail this late, Beta dug in his Item bag and fished out the small Mailer. Pressing a button on it, a holographic image popped up from the center of it. It was Lunehhy! Beta's eyes widen as he noticed how she looked. Her face was covered in sweat and grimy with dirt, her hair dirty and matted, and she had lost her beret. She looked like she's been through hell and back. Lunehhy spoke, her voice trembling and full of fear.

"Beta! Please get this soon. We're in trouble! Come, quickly! Go to the Central Dome, and search for a cave near it. I left a capsule in that cave, it'll tell you how to get to us. We're UNDER the Central Dome, in some sort of mine... Beta, get as- SHIT!!" Lunehhy exclaimed, drawing her Bravace pistol and shooting at something he couldn't see. The message abruptly ended. Beta's face was white as a sheet, all the color drained. Lunehhy and HK-55 were in trouble!

Alex too saw the message. He had a serious look on his face. "We have to help them. I'll go with you, no charge." The Hunter offered. Beta numbly nodded.

"Lunehhy, HK... Hold on! I'm coming!" Beta shouted as he jumped to his feet, grabbing his Shadow Rod. "Where's the Central Dome?"

"It's not that far from here. Follow me, I know the way." Alex said, stomping out the fire and igniting his Photon Saber. "Let's go!" He shouted as he started full tilt into the wilderness, Beta at his heels.

The Central Dome used to be Pioneer 1. Pioneer 2 could also turn into a structure identical to the Central Dome. The large pyramid like structure was locked tight, and nothing could be done to open the main doors or any of the secondary entrances. Explosions were ineffective. But the government was working on a way of bypassing the problem to gain entrance to the Dome.

Just as Lunehhy said, near the main entrance to the dome was a small cave. Granted, the opening to the cave was a small hole, which Beta and Alex had to squeeze through. The squeeze was tough, Alex had to take off his armor first and pass it through to Beta. Once both were inside, Beta and Alex journeyed deeper into the cave, searching for the capsule Lunehhy had left. About thirty yards from the cave entrance was a large hole in the ground, the capsule next to it. Beta activated the capsule, seeing Lunehhy's holographic image appear.

"Ahem! This thing on? Cough! Um, my name is Lunehhy, Section ID Blueful, Class A Ranger. With me is HK-55, Section ID Yellowboze, Class A Hunter. Together we are going to be the first people to gain access to the Central Dome. If you are seeing this, then obviously you found our little hole. To follow in our footsteps, just drop through this hole and follow the trail of capsules I'll be leaving. Good luck! Hope you like our sloppy seconds! Nya nya!" She stuck her tongue out and the message ended. She was clean in this recording, voice cheerful and bright. This message was eight days old...

Beta and Alex dropped through the hole. The fall was short, and they found themselves inside a large, spacious cavern. In the center of the cavern was the carcass of a dragon! The thing was huge! Even at this distance, Beta could see areas where HK-55 had cut it with her Soul Eater, as well as holes were Lunehhy had shot it. Next to it's corpse was another Capsule. Beta immediately went to it and activated it. Lunehhy's image appeared. She was panting.

"Who the heck would have imaged this thing would be under the Dome? Well, me and HK killed it. It won't be bothering anyone else. Boo yah! Girls rule!" She grinned a cheeky grin and flashed the 'V for Victory' sign, then the message ended. 

Alex shook his head as he sniggered lightly. "She's not only cute, she's tough. My type of girl." Beta gave him a disgusted look. Kilala seemed to share Beta's feelings, displeased with Alex's attitude.

"As if..." He said in disgust. "Come on, I can see an elevator over there."

Beta pointed towards a large, cargo elevator set into the wall of the cavern. There was another capsule next to it. Developing a habit, Beta went to it and activated. This time it was HK-55.

"I am HK-55. This elevator only goes down. Lunehhy wants to explore what's further below us. I think that perhaps there will be another way up into the Dome if we go down. So that's where we're going." The message ended. Beta smirked. How typical of HK-55, short and to the point.

"Well, after you." Alex motioned towards the elevator, which Beta stepped into. Alex followed suit, then closed the gated door. Beta mashed his thumb on the down button, and the elevator rumbled to life, descending into the darkness below...


	4. Chapter Three: On the Heels of Death

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Trials of Beta

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Chapter Three: On the Heels of Death

Down the cargo elevator crawled at a snail's pace. Beta was growing impatient and punched one of the walls. "Go faster, damn you!" He ordered it, to no avail. The elevator was stubborn and kept up it's same pace, neither slowing nor quickening.

"Patience, my client... I'm sure Lunehhy can handle her own. So can that HUcaseal." Alex stated, calmly leaning the back wall of the elevator car, his arms crossed over his chest. Beta spun around, glaring at the Hunter.

"Patience? PATIENCE!?! My best friend is in danger! Not to mention we have no idea what we're going up against in this place! And yet here you are, Mr. Calm And Cool! How can you be so calm?!" Beta yelled, fighting to maintain himself as best he could.

Alex simply shrugged. "I just do. To be truthful, I'm excited. We're going to be facing an unknown and never before seen enemy."

Beta started at Alex in disgust, his mouth opening to say something, but the elevator abruptly rumbled to a halt. The doors slide open automatically, revealing what lay beyond. They were in a small chamber, and a wave of intense heat washed over both Alex and Beta. It was hot down here! A door sat in the east wall, the lights on it green, indicating that's it's unlocked. Beta jumped off the elevator, dashing for the door. As he neared it, it opened automatically, one half sliding up into the ceiling, as the lower half descended into the ground. "I'm coming Lunehhy!"

Alex shook his head slowly as he followed in the wake of Beta into the room beyond. They were in a large cavern, at the far east was a lavafall. So they must be inside a volcano or something. The east exit was locked, he could tell at a distance because the light on it was red. Then his attention was diverted down. Littered on the ground were animal corpses, strange lizard like beasts with four eyes on each side of it's shark-like head. Beta was stooped down, examining one of the monsters whose head had been sliced off, a tell tale sign of HK-55's Soul Eater scythe. "What are these things?" He asked himself in bewilderment. Along the south wall, between two ponds of bubbling lava, was another door, this one unlocked.

"I think they went this way," Alex stated, striding the distance to it. He noticed, laying on the floor next to the door were two capsules, "Hey Beta! There are capsules over here, two of 'em."

Beta instantly forgot about the corpses and ran over to Alex, squating to inspect the two objects. "I wonder why there is two?" Reaching out a hand, he pressed the play button on the nearest capsule. A holographic image of a red haired female in white and red appeared. Upon her face was a pair of glasses, and she wore a red bracelet on her left wrist. The female spoke.

"Wow... This cave is a treasure trove of discoveries. Creatures that have never been seen by people. Completely unknown animals. They look like mutant forms of the native animals. Perhaps the Government has kept this a secret...? It's possible, but for what purpose?"

The message ended there. Beta felt confused. Who was she? She didn't even introduce herself. Blinking a couple times, he activated the other capsule. This time Lunehhy appeared.

"That's Rico Tyrell! She's a famous scientist and a Hunter too! She was on Pioneer 1. So she survived the explosion! Principal Tyrell will be overjoyed to hear that his daughter survived. I hope we can meet her! She's very famous, a hero even! Hmmm... This capsule looks weeks old. I'm guessing Red Ring Rico left this shortly after the explosion. That means she has a big lead on us..."

Alex stared blankly at the wall for a moment. "Rico..." He muttered the name of the famous female Hunter under his breath.

"What?" Beta asked, not quite hearing Alex.

"Nothing, forget about it. Let's move on, we have to catch up to them." The door was already opened, having sensed their presence as Beta went to activate the capsule. All Alex had to do was cross the threshold, passing over the metal grate floor. Beta gasped and hurriedly hopped to his feet, following Alex. "If we hurry, we can catch up to them by this time tomorrow."

"Really think so? Well then, let's make a run for it!" Beta replied as he jogged into the following room...

~*~*~*~*~*~

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That wasn't the last capsule from the famous Red Ring Rico we found in the Caves either. Something was bothering Alex, but he didn't tell me anything. I didn't press him. We didn't find much of anything in the first floor of this Artificial Cave, no signs of life, just life lost. We followed the trail of mangled animal bodies left by Lunehhy and HK-55. We were literally on the heels of Death itself...

~*~*~*~*~*~

A half of day's worth of travelling through the horridly hot Cave turned up not much for Beta and Alex. They found a slew of capsules, from both Lunehhy and Red Ring Rico. Beta stood before the orange colored telepad, drenched in sweat and grit.

"I wonder where this takes us?" Beta asked hesitantly, trying to muster the courage to step on the pad.

"Well, only one way to find out. Remember these words: The courageous do more in a moment then the cowardly do in a lifetime." Alex said, then stepped onto the pad without giving himself time to reconsider. Alex vanished in a small flash of light. Blinking several times and sighing, not wanting to be left behind, Beta closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and steps forward. He felt his stomach churn as his body was converted to pure energy and transported somewhere else. Opening his eyes, he found himself on another telepad. The air here was cool, a welcome relief after the insane heat from the upper levels. Beta's ears popped, they must be quite some ways down. "Ow! My eyes just popped." He complained softly.

"Ya don't say? Welcome to the club. Come on, I think they went that way." Alex smirked, rolling his head towards the only door in this chamber. Small fireflies flew around the chamber, droplets of water falling from the ceiling.

"Lead the way." Beta offered. His feet were hurting like all get out, but he didn't want to ask for a break, fearing being scolded by Alex. Without another word, Alex lead the way forward. The room beyond the chamber where Alex and Beta had entered was medium sized, not all that large, but not small either. There was a thin layer of water on the floor, which came up to Beta's ankles in the center of the room. "Lots of water in here..." It was the same as before, more death, more dead bodies.

"Man, the least they could have done is left a couple stragglers. I'm tired of looking at corpses!" Alex shouted, kicking over a corpse of a large, insect like creature. As soon as he did this, there came a high pitched shrill, causing the two to covers their ears. The insect began to melt, and from underneath it's body came _thousand_ of miniature versions of itself, scurrying across the ground. Beta and Alex watched dumbfounded as the tiny creatures fled into small crevices in the wall. "Did... You see that?" Alex said finally.

"Um... I think so? Did that thing you kicked just reproduced itself in death? My god... How many were there?" Beta replied. Kilala growled lowly, not liking this new development.

"Damn if I know, but it was a whole lot of them..." Both men were a bit disturbed by the whole ordeal. "Let's just get out of here, this is just... Too weird for me!" Alex suggested.

"Already one step ahead of you." Beta stated as he was at the north door. The room beyond was the same as the one before. To his immediate left was another capsule. Thinking that maybe Lunehhy left it, Beta immediately goes and activates it. A holographic image of Red Ring Rico appeared.

"Poefuilly Slime tends to attack at close range. That's not good for Rangers and Forces. Be careful."

Beta had a perplexed look. "What in Sam's hell is a 'Poefuilly Slime?'" Beta asked, not really expecting an answer.

Alex suggested one anyways, "Maybe one of those things we just saw. Hmm... Which way, left or straight?"

"This capsule is closest to this door, let's take it." Beta answered, standing and going to it, the door opening as he nears.

"Interesting logic..." Alex commented idly. They find themselves in a long, narrow tunnel, another door at the end. Beta kept his pace as he jogged through the open door into a room separated in two by a laser fence. He could see on the other side of the fence a couple crates. But he wasn't thinking about that, there were more important things then treasure at the moment, like his friend Lunehhy. To the west was a locked door, across from it an unlocked door. Without breaking his stride, Beta jogged to this one, passing through the passage. What lies beyond caused him to stop and catch his breath.

Ahead of him was a large cavern, a rainbow arching from one side to the other. But it wasn't the rainbow that made Beta catch his breath: Here were many magnificent waterfalls, four large ones and countless smaller ones cascading down from the roof to the floor. Walking forwardly slowly, Beta stared at the display in awe.

"It's... Beautiful!" He exclaimed.

"Uh huh..." Alex agreed, then spied a capsule sitting on top a boulder. Alex went to it and activated it for Beta. Lunehhy appeared, beret-less and looking rather refreshed.

"Um, hi to whoever's following us! Um... I lost my beret while bathing here. If you happen to find it, could you send it to my boyfriend's apartment? His name is Beta, and he lives in Apartment 11, Section Viridia-F. I would be ever so grateful! Thanks. Also, if you see him, tell him I'm really, really sorry for letting HK hit him! I had no idea she was going to do that! Well um... The show must go on! See you next time!"

Beta had wondered over and saw this. His mouth hung open. Lunehhy had just called him her boyfriend! He felt... Happy. _She really thinks of me as a boyfriend? Wow..._

"You lucky dog, why didn't you tell me she was your girl?" Alex jested, jabbing Beta with his elbow.

"I... I didn't know..." Beta said, feeling a little light headed.

"You didn't know? You are one naïve motherfucker, you know that?" Shaking his head sadly, Alex moves away from the boulder. An idea hits him, and he smells himself. "Hmmm... I'm a bit ripe. Tell you what, let's stop for a bit and bathe, eh? After all that heat a nice cool bath oughta do us loads of good." He said, already undoing the fasteners on his armor...

"She said I was her boyfriend..." Beta still couldn't believe his ears.

"Oh shut the hell up, would you? Damn, you're like a little school boy..." Alex said, dropping the outer shell of his blue armor on the ground, now only in his undergarments. He stepped under one of the waterfalls, and gasped. "Good lord that's cold! GEEZUZ!" His teeth began to chatter, but he didn't move, letting the water wash away all the dirt and sweet from his body. His Bana Mag floated on top of his armor, watching over it for him.

Kilala cooed and nuzzled it's head against Beta's neck, bringing him back to reality. "Huh? OH! Yeah, bathe..." Beta stripped off his robe, looking for somewhere dry to put it.

"Hey hey hey! This is my waterfall! Go get your own!" Alex scolded Beta, telling him to go to the other side of the cavern...


	5. Chapter Four: Betray Your Heart

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Trials of Beta

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Chapter Four: Betray Your Heart

Before them stood a tall pillar of some sort. It was a dull bronze color, with strange symbols all over it. Beta and Alex were dumbfounded by this discovery. Water dripped down to the floor from over head.

"What is it?" Beta asked.

"Hell if I know..." Alex was closer to it then Beta. He had an urge to touch it, for some reason that he couldn't quite explain, "I'm going to... Touch it." He announced.

"Be careful." Beta advised.

Rubbing his face with one hand, Alex gulped and reached out a hand to press one of the symbols on the pillar. As his hand made contact, the pillar rumbled, and the symbols started to glow!

"Watch out!" Beta shouted, jumping back. Alex took a staggering step backwards, a blue ring of light about 12 feet up on the pillar appearing.

"What... Just happened?" Alex asked hesitantly.

"I have no clue... Let's go on, okay?"

Turning away from the pillar, Alex and Beta walked to the south exit, then noticed a capsule by the door. "Let me." Alex offered, stooping and pressing the play button. Red Ring Rico appeared.

"My first question about Ragol was, "Why didn't any sentient life exist here?" But... Look at this monument! This is identical to the one I saw in the forest! It's NOT ours though... Was there an ancient civilization on Ragol? But these monuments are the only evidence I see... It'd be strange if there was a civilization indeed... Can I decipher the characters with my simple tools?"

Standing, Alex shook his head. "The mystery deepens, and the plot thickens. Just what the hell is going on here?!"

Beta blinked, slightly taken aback by Alex's outburst. "I don't know, but if we want to find out, and rescue Lunehhy and HK, we have to go forward."

"Indeed." Was all Alex said. Here before them was the exit of the second level of the caves. What lay beyond was anyone's guess, but they had to go forward. "No guts no glory." Alex said as he stepped onto the orange pad and vanished. Beta shook his head and followed suit, disappearing from here and reappearing somewhere further below. Unlike the first two levels, this third one didn't even look remotely natural. It looked like a mine. Then it hit Beta. Lunehhy had said they were in a Mine, this must be the place!

"We're close to them! This is the place Lunehhy said she and HK were in! Let's hurry!" Without even waiting for Alex to respond, Beta ran through the door into the next room. Here were two more doors, one to the north west, the other directly across from it. Something told Beta to go through the northwest one. Running full tilt, Beta dashed through the door and nearly fell flat on his face as he brought himself to a halt. Before him, in the hallway, rising and falling from the ceiling, were three pillars. It was a deathtrap, the pillars rising up into the ceiling only to come crashing down and smash anything underneath it, just to repeat the process all over. Beta gulped audibly.

"We have to get through THAT?! Okay, I can do this! Just... Gotta time it... The first pillar hits the ground.... NOW!" As he said this the first pillar slams into the ground, then begins to ascent. Quickly Beta stepped under it. "The second pillar hits now." The second pillar too began it ascent, having slammed into the ground a second after the first one. He was faced with a decision now, as the path split, one way going east, the other keeping north. He didn't have time to think tho, so he stepped off from under the pillar to the east, taking this path. He prayed he took the right course.

"Holy shit!" Alex called out, just seeing the lovely deathtrap.

"Fun, huh?" Beta jested.

"Like a root canal. Shaddup and lemme concentrate..." Alex said as he memorized the pattern of the rising and fallings, then hopped through one, waited for the second, passed this and got to Beta. "Let's hope that's the last of those."

"Couldn't agree with you more." Beta said, turning around and walking down the path. Kilala chirped it's agreement, floating along behind Beta. The hallway spilled out into a wish bone shaped room, one side having an always unlocked door and the other a lockable door. The lockable door was unlocked, that means that Lunehhy and HK-55 must have passed through here recently! "We're close! Come on!"

Holding her Bravace pistol with both hands, Lunehhy peaked around the corner, gazing at the door. She was sweaty and dirty from head to toe. Spinning out from behind her cover and keeping her pistol on the door, she took slow, measured steps towards it, her finger tight on the trigger. _Where is she? Show yourself, bitch..._

Suddenly, the door behind her began to open, and her eyes went wide. _Behind me?! But how?!_ She didn't think, she didn't look, she only spun around, whipping her pistol to bear and squeezing the trigger as she did so, shooting blindly at the threat behind her, hoping to hit out of pure luck.

"Beta! Watch out!" She heard a man say. _Beta?_ "Hold your fire, damnit!" The man said, standing to his feet after tackling another man in black to the ground, brandishing a blue Saber at her. Lunehhy raised the Bravace, aiming back at him.

"Drop your weapon!" She ordered.

Beta pressed his hand on the unlocking mechanism, unlocking the door. The door opened automatically. No sooner does it open then yellow Photon bullets begin streaking towards him. _Huh?!_ "Beta! Watch out!" Alex said, tackling to FOmar as the bullets sail over them. Alex growled and jumped to his feet, his blue Photon Saber out and ignited. "Hold your fire, damnit!" He had an Autogun in his holster, but he doubted he could get to it in time, so he had to make do with what he had.

Beta was confused, first someone was shooting at him, and the next thing he knew he was tackled from behind, his face in the ground. He then heard Lunehhy's voice say, "Drop your weapon!" It was Lunehhy! Beta struggled to his feet, shouting.

"Lunehhy! Lunehhy! It's me, Beta! Thank the Gods you're alright!" He said, running to her. Lunehhy blinked and then smiled for the first time in days, lowering her Bravace.

"Beta? It is you! You got my message!" She said, hugging him as he came within arm's reach. Alex slowly advanced forward, his Photon Saber doused.

"Of course I did! Me and Alex came as soon as we could!" Beta said, returning the embrace.

Lunehhy looked over Beta's shoulder at the blue haired man. "You're Alex?" She asked. The man nodded and made a little bow.

"None other then the famous Alex D." He said. Lunehhy had heard of the man. He had took a dare to kill a Booma with his bare hands the second day or so after the explosion, got cut across the eye, but he did kill the Booma and won a number of Meseta.

"Thanks for helping my friend." She said, nodding her head slowly. No one except Alex noticed the door Lunehhy had originally approached open. He saw HK standing there, and recognized her from some of the capsules. He nodded greetings to her. Lunehhy released her arms from around Beta, standing back. "There's something I gotta tell you about HK! She-" She never finished her sentence, her chest bursting outwards. A mist of blood sprayed on Beta as the tip of HK-55's Soul Eater erupted out of Lunehhy's chest. The powerful female Android swung the Soul Eater to one side, pinning Lunehhy to the wall. Beta was frozen with shock, his eyes wide.

"I thought I told you not to follow us, weakling?" HK said, then grabbed a Photon Dagger from her belt and threw it at Beta. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as the purple energy blade spun through the air towards him, end over end. _I'm going to die?_ Beta thought. There was a blur of movement, a hiss as a Saber ignited, and Alex swung the blade in an upwards arc in front of Beta, hitting the dagger and deflecting it up. He had already drew his Autogun with his off hand, and began to fire at HK, knowing well that he couldn't hit the broadside of a planet in this stance, but figured the firepower would drive the android away, which it did. The HUcaseal quickly withdrew her Soul Eater from the wall and retreated through the door, getting hit once in the arm by Alex's cover fire.

Lunehhy's body slid down the wall to the floor, leaving a trail of blood on the wall. Beta snapped back to reality, went to Lunehhy's side, holding her in his arms. "Lunehhy?! Lunehhy you're going to be okay, just hold on..."

All the color had drained out of Lunehhy's face, she was losing blood at an alarming rate. She could feel herself slipping, going into the darkness. "Don't let.... Don't let her bring IT back... The terror..." She said weakly. Tears were streaming freely down Beta's face.

"You're going to be okay Lunehhy. Don't go, stay with me." Beta pleaded, then looked up at Alex. "DO something! Can't we do something!?! We have to get her back to Pioneer 2! They can save her!"

Alex shook his head helplessly, his eyes fixed on the door HK had disappeared through. In their rush, they didn't bring any Telepipes, and so far they hadn't found any either.

"Beta... I..... Love......" Lunehhy's body went limp in Beta's arms, her eyes taking on a blank, vacant look as life fled from them. Beta's eyes stung, tears streaming down his cheek. He shook her body.

"Don't leave me Lunehhy. Don't go! Come back!" He pleaded, trying vainly to coax her soul back into her body. Her blood was all over his hands and body. "That... That BITCH!" Beta cursed HK-55, grabbing Lunehhy's Bravace Pistol and tucking it in his item bag. He would use it to kill HK.

"Beta, we have to give Lunehhy a proper burial. It's the least we can do." Alex suggested.

"I know. Just... Give me time... I don't want to leave her just yet..." He said, still holding Lunehhy's still warm body in his arm. He kissed her forehead, realizing now that he too loved her...


	6. Chapter Five: From Seeing the Rough Wave

****

Trials of Beta

__

Chapter Five: From Seeing the Rough Wave

Without a shovel or other such digging tool, it took quite a few hours for Alex and Beta to dig a grave for Lunehhy. A tombstone was made out of scattered rocks found laying about. Beta etched into the largest rock which sat upon the top of the pile these words: "Here lies Lunehhy Devi. Friend, lover, and the Greatest Ranger who ever lived or ever will live. May her soul rest in eternal peace." 

Beta's eyes were red from crying. Just when he thought he could cry no more, still yet more tears would come to his eyes. The mood was somber, the air heavy with sorrow. Even the normally cheerful Kilala was silent. "We should... Move on, we hafta catch up to HK-55 and avenge Lunehhy." Alex said in a low tone. Beta could feel the anger within him rising at the mention of the name HK-55.

"Yes, we have to find her, and kill her for killing Lunehhy!" Beta said, gripping his Shadow Rod with both hands so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Come on." He said through clenched teeth.

~*~*~*~*~*~

__

A wolf in sheep's clothing, that's what HK-55 is. And she's the worst kind of wolf, one that eats it's own pack. At the time, all I could think about was how much I would enjoy taking HK's life. I was so blinded by my rage, it didn't even register to me what Lunehhy had meant by 'Don't let her bring IT back' until much later...

~*~*~*~*~*~

The third level of this cave ended in a large tunnel. A river ran through it. A boating platform sat here on the water. This was the only way HK-55 could have gone. Alex stepped onto the platform.

"There's only one way to go, and that's forward. Let's go." He said, moving to work the controls. Beta got a bad feeling in his gut from this, but let the feeling slide, ignoring it.

"Think HK came this way?" He asked.

"Had to, this is the only exit down." Answered Alex, punching the throttle up to full. The floating platform began to sputter forward, and shoved off. Even at max speed, it wasn't all that fast. "This thing was probably used to transport carg-"

A load roar reverberated through the tunnel, coming from behind them. Beta spun around, shock covering his face as he saw what was coming towards them. A large worm like creature was skimming through the water at speed towards the small platform. Alex too saw this. "Crap, looks like we got company, put your game face on Beta!" He shouted, igniting his Photon Saber.

It didn't take long for the worm to come up alongside the left side of the platform. It was just out of reach of Alex's sword. Beta summoned up from within a Zonde spell, sending a tendril of lightening towards the worm, lancing it with the spell. It let out a shrill shriek, rising its head up out of water. The creature had two spear like protrusions jutting out from its chin, the head was strangely skull like, and appeared to be made of some sort of bone. From the first ten segments of its body below the head were long needle point tendrils. Alex recognized the tendrils, Rico had said she saw a worm thing stab an animal with a tentacle and the animal mutated. Alex quickly pointed the tendrils out to Beta. "Don't let those things stab you!"

With another roar, the worm slammed its head down on the platform, the spear protrusions imbedding itself in the platform, anchoring itself firmly. The platform tilted to this side, Beta and Alex sliding towards the worm. One of the tendrils reeled back, then shot forward towards Beta. The FOmar rolled to the side, the tendril imbedding itself in the platform where Beta was mere seconds ago. Kilala hissed, it's tail wagging angrily back and forth. Swinging his Shadow Rod, Beta slammed it against the tendril, breaking it with the sheer force of the blow.

Alex slid down the tilted platform, putting his feet on the head of the worm. Rising up his Photon Saber, he began to slash madly at the head, the energy blade slamming against its hard bone like head several times, a crack slowly beginning to appear. Another tendril recoiled, then shot forward lightening fast. Alex tossed his body forward, grabbing hold of the worm's head with both arms. Another tendril he didn't see quickly lanced him through the arm left, causing the HUmar to scream out in agony. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he swung his saber with his right hand and cut the tendril off, green blood spurting out from it and splattering on his face. "DIE!" With a cry of defiant rage, he rose up the saber and thrust it down into the worm's head with all his might, piercing the bone all the way through. The bone 'mask' shattered, falling apart to show the real face of this monster. No longer anchored to the platform, the worm dived back into the water, bringing Alex with it. The other end of the platform fell back down, and Beta cried out Alex's name.

The worm swam ahead under the surface of the murky water, Alex's saber embedded in lower part of its flat, fleshy face. Holding his breath, Alex tried pulling the saber out, but found it didn't respond. Shaking his head furiously, he doused the saber. He began to rise immediately to the surface as the worm swam like a rocket ahead. His head broke the surface, he spat out a mouthful of the dirty water, then waved his hand as the platform neared him. Beta slowed the boat, and helped Alex on. The roar of the creature slowly died out in the distance.

His arm was bleeding, quite badly. Grunting as he pulled the part of the tendril out, Alex chucked it over the edge into the water. "Fucking hell. That thing just attacked us out of nowhere!"

Beta was more concerned with Alex's arm. "Hey man, you okay?"

Alex shrugged it off. "Yeah, no sweat. It's just a flesh wound."

As the boat drove forward, Beta found himself wondering what the hell that worm was doing down here. His chain of thought was shattered by the roar of the creature again. Alex groaned. "Fucking hell man!" It was coming right back at them, the giant worm. Beta drew Lunehhy's Bravace, holding it in both hands, his Shadow Rod resting on his shoulder as he stood with his weight placed evenly between his feet. Closing one eye, he took aim at the creature as it rapidly swam towards them. Taking a deep breath, letting half of it out, Beta steadily squeezed the trigger. The Photon bullet drew electricity from the surrounding air, taking on lightening properties, then with a loud boom the yellow energy bullet hurled itself from the barrel of the silver pistol, screaming towards the beast, the upper half of its body just above the surface.

The energy projectile slams into the worm's face, the intense heat from the Photon energy liquidating a good portion of its face. With a blood curdling roar, the beast rose it's upper body out of the water, matching the speed of the boat _as it swam backwards!_

"How the hell is that possible?! That can't be happening!" Alex groaned. Purple pinpoints of light began to appear around the worm's mouth, and these dots were drawn into its gaping maw. "The hell is it doing?"

"I don't know... Shit! Dodge!" Beta screamed as a long lance of purple bio-plasma was spat out from the worm's mouth in a straight line. Throwing himself to one side, he had managed to dodge the attack, and was relieved to see Alex was safe likewise. The attack cut the boat in half like a hot knife through butter, the two halves drifted away from each other. As he laid on his side, Beta brought the Bravace to bear on the worm as it charged up to attack once more. "Gotta time it... Wait for it... NOW!" Just as the worm was about to release it's bio-plasma attack, Beta pulled the trigger on the Bravace, firing another Photon bullet at the worm's mouth. The bullet impacted the same time the worm released its energy attack.

The worm's head exploded, splattering green blood and gore on the tunnel walls and on its two opponents. The creature fell back into the water, sinking below the surface as the two halves of the boat sputtered past it. Friction finally caught up and inertia was no longer able to propel it forward. Letting out a breath of relief, Beta waved at Alex. "I think we killed it... So um... What do we do now?"

"What do we do now? Why the hell are you asking me?! You're the brains of this outfit! Nice shooting, by the way." Alex said, standing up and trying to balance the boat at the same time. Beta just laid on his side, not wanting to make the effort. Kilala shook its body, then nudged Beta's cheek lovingly.

"Think HK had to fight one of those things?" He asked the rhetorical question.

"Nah man, for some reason I don't think she did." Alex said, his voice echoing down the long tunnel. "Do you think we should paddle the rest of the way?"

Beta shrugged. "I guess. Try to get over here, it'll be easier if we're both on the same part."

"Okay, I'm gonna jump, get ready..." Counting off from three, Alex made the short jump from one half to the other, nearly tipping it over in the process, but somehow managed to balance it out so that it was no longer in danger. "Okay... Here we go... I wonder how far it is?" Alex spoke as he laid down on his belly and began to paddle with his arm.

"I have no clue, just keep paddling..." Beta said, using his Shadow Rod as a paddle to propel themselves along.


	7. Chapter Six: Requiem for Lunehhy, Part O...

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Trials of Beta

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Chapter Six: Requiem for Lunehhy, Part One

The full realization that Lunehhy was gone didn't set in until much later. I guess adrenaline and anger made me numb to it at first, but after the battle with that worm thing, it hit me like a run away fright train. I can still remember the day when we first meet as vividly as if it were yesterday...

~*~*~*~*~*~

A full year has passed since Pioneer 2 had left Corel. It would be another six before the interstellar transport ship would reach Ragol.

But that wasn't on Beta's mind right now, he had more important things to worry about. Bracing himself for the impact as a giant winged insect body slammed him, Beta was knocked off his feet by the force of the attack. _Damn! That came out of nowhere!_ He thought to himself, bringing his Cane up parallel to the hard stone floor beneath him and thrusting up with both hands, stopping the monster from trying to take a bite out of him. A long line of salvia dripped down from its mouth, and Beta ducked his head to the left, the acid hissing as it burned the ground where Beta's head was seconds. "Damn!"

He tucked his leg in to kick the monster off of it, but a Photon bullet rang out and slammed into the monster's hard chitin body. The heat from the energy bullet melted a hole in the insect's abdomen, killing the beast quickly while still causing it great pain. Beta kicked the corpse off of him as an unfamiliar voice called out to him.

"Hey Force... You okay?" Lunehhy had asked, resting the barrel of the Photon rifle on her shoulder. Behind her was an Android, red and white in color. Her blood red eyes seemed disinterested in the rookie Force.

The passageway where Beta had been ambushed by that bug was relatively narrow. It was an old structure, made out of stone and covered in a layer of dust. This was Beta's favorite area to train, the Temple. Although lately the lab has been programming stronger monsters into the VR System. Dusting himself off, Beta nodded. "I'm fine." He grinned behind his veil as he examined the human woman, "I didn't realize that there were other Hunters in here with me. Would you like to join me?"

"A rookie like you? Not likely." The HUcaseal responded, much to Beta's dismay.

"HK! That's not nice! Remember, we were all rookies at one time or another. Anyways, my name is Lunehhy and this is my best friend HK-55, and we would love to join forces with you." The red head said, smiling warmly.

Beta made a sweeping bow. "I am Beta Vander. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. And I am no rookie, I am a Rank A Force." He directed that last sentence at the android.

"Coulda fooled me. Lunehhy, I really don't have time to baby sit, why don't you have fun with the newbie, I'm gonna go up ahead to the Spaceship level. See you later." HK fuzzed and blinked out of existence, exiting the VR System. Lunehhy shook her head slowly. "Don't mind her, she can be a little rough around the edges, but deep down inside, she's a real sweetheart."

Beta shrugged. He didn't care much for the Android, nor did he appreciate being called a rookie. "Eh... No sweat off my back. Hey, thanks for teaming up with me, doing this is so much more fun with someone else, especially with someone as beautiful as you."

Lunehhy blushed abit behind her war paint. "I'm sure you say that to all the ladies. Come on, let's go bust up some monsters!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Lunehhy couldn't have been more wrong about HK-55. She was anything but a sweetheart.

The beginning of our relationship wasn't much to look at. We'd go do the Temple level together a couple times a week, once we even ventured into the Spaceship level, but that's a story of embarrassment I'll save for another time. One would say we were simply hunting buddies, two young people who shared a common interest. We didn't talk much outside of the VR System. Shyness on my part, I suppose. But one night, four months after we first met, I worked up the courage to ask Lunehhy out for a drink...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Pacing back and forth in front of his bathroom mirror, Beta recited various lines, seeing which sounded the best, "Hey, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by and ask you out for a date... Erm... Drink... No no, she'll think I'm totally weird then, like I'm stalking her..." He rubbed his chin, his veil laying next the bathroom sink. He slicked back his hair with one hand, trying to see how the 'cool guy' approach looked, "Yo, hi! I was thinking that you and I could head on down to the local pub and get a couple drinks. So how about it baby? Er... NO! Gawd, I sound so ridiculous..." Rubbing his temples with both hands, Beta took a deep breath, then leaned forward, staring at himself in the mirror. "Okay... I'll just ask her, straight out. You can do this Beta. She'll say yeah, no sweat, no worries. Just, go to her place, knock on her door, and ask. No need to act fake or different, just be yourself..."

Splashing some water on his face, Beta grabbed the black veil and hooked it to his hat, covering the lower half of his face. Giving himself the once over and satisfied with what he saw, Beta left his apartment and took a transporter to the Section Blueful-a Apartments, where Lunehhy lived. He had found out where she lived via the directory service. He felt kinda bad about it, not having asked her first. But what was done was done, no use fussing over it after the fact.

Reaching up one hand, he rapped his knuckles on the metal alloy door of Lunehhy's apartment. A brief moment of silence, followed by Lunehhy's voice over the intercom. "Yes? Who is it?"

"It's me, Beta." He answered.

"Oh... Um, wait one second..." The door slide aside, revealing the red headed female, wearing a simple nightgown and sweatpants. Her hair was messy, and she was barefooted, "Um... I just woke up, don't pay any mind to what I look like. Anyways, what's up?"

Beta rubbed the back of his head, "I was wondering if you... Uh, w-would like to... To uh..." _Oh crap! I'm choking up! Now she's gonna think I'm a total retard!_

Lunehhy blushed, already figuring out what Beta wanted, and finishing his unfinished sentence. "To go on a date with you? Sure, I'd like that. Just give me a moment to make myself presentable, okay?"

She thumbed the close button, and the door slide shut. Beta was dumbfounded. _Whoa... I just wanted to take her out for a drink, not a date... What luck! _He grinned to himself, waiting patiently for Lunehhy. _I wonder what's taking her so long? Hope she didn't stand me up... Or fall in the toilet... That'd suck..._

It took about twenty minutes before Lunehhy returned, dressed in her usual black uniform. Her red hair fell to the middle of her back, straight and... Perfect. "Okay, I'm ready. So... Where we going?"

"Well... Er... I was thinking about just... Uh, you know... Just getting a drink at the pub." Beta hesitantly replied. His cheeks were a light hue of red, just more then slightly embarrassed about all this.

"Just get a drink?" She scoffed, "Aw come on, I got a better idea! Follow me!"

Without warning she grabbed Beta's hand and proceeded to drag him along behind her as she dashed down the hall towards the Transporter. Beta stumbled along, trying his best to keep pace with the excited Lunehhy. "Huh?! Whoa! Hey! Where we going?" He called out as Lunehhy keyed in their destination on the transporter Input device.

"You'll see. It's really cool!" She said, stepping onto the pad. Half an instant later, they were no longer in the apartment area, but now at the VR Facility.

"Huh? The VR Area? But..." He dropped his voice to a whisper, "Isn't this place off limits after hours?"

Lunehhy nodded her head. "Yeah. Exciting, isn't it? Come on, we're gonna sneak into the VR control room."

"Oh, we're..." Beta did a double take as his brain registered Lunehhy's words, "We're gonna do what?" He said as he followed Lunehhy. The other was catfooting her way along the wall, towards the door labeled "VR Control." The large transporter room was darkened, the lights off. Beta swear his footsteps on the hard metal floor underfoot could be heard throughout the entire ship.

"Ssssh! Keep it down, you wanna get us caught?" Lunehhy scolded the Force, trying to be as stealthy as she can. _Man! This girl is nuts!_ Beta thought to himself, following Lunehhy's lead.

Placing her hand on the door opening mechanism, she frowned as it refused to open. "It's locked... It's never locked."

"Eh?" Beta gave her an odd look, "What do you mean it's never locked?"

"Just that," Lunehhy eyed the door carefully, "I do this all the time. And it's never been locked... Darn..." She snapped her fingers, "But don't worry..."

She then proceeded to gently probe the area around the mechanism, looking for something? With an 'Ah ha,' she swiftly punched a spot next to the mechanism, and the door chimed, opening. "See? I've got the knack..." She said to a bewildered Beta. Striding up the set of stairs immediate before them, the duo found themselves in the control center for the VR System. Here tech guys would program in various information for the VR System to emulate. It was also here that monster and weapon stats were stored. Lunehhy ignored most of the unpowered equipment, went straight to a computer console, and logged in.

"Have a seat, this'll take a moment to boot up and program." She said. So far Beta had let her lead the way, but he felt left in the dark for long enough.

"When are you going to tell me what you're doing? And... You do realize that we're breaking and entering, right?"

"Geez, be patient! And yes, I do realize that we're breaking the law, but all that'll happen is they'll slap us on our hand, tell us not to do it again, and smack us with a three thousand Meseta fine. I got like thirty hundred thousand Meseta in the bank that I don't even think about, so it's nothing really... And if you can't handle the bill, I'll cover for you... Heh heh heh, here we go." The VR System finished booting up, and Lunehhy's hands flew over the console, inputting commands.

__

Ye gods! What kind of girl IS Lunehhy? "You're insane, you know that?" Beta said.

"Or so I'm told. Heh heh heh..." She said with a smirk, "There! All done! Come on, to the VR Room." She stood quickly and went for the exit, motioning for Beta to follow, which he begrudgingly did.

~*~*~*~*~*~

__

The Pioneer 2 VR System is weird, to say the least. When most people think of VR, they think of Virtual Reality, like wearing a helmet over your head and such silliness like that. But the System on the Pioneer 2 is different. It creates a small, controlled pocket dimension, into which anything could be programmed. Yes, we do have that technology. This way, while everything in the VR System wasn't real, you were. However, you could be affected by anything in this pocket dimension. People have died before... I myself was once hurt pretty badly in the VR and was bedridden for a few days...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Finding themselves in the VR Room, which was just really a transporter pad at the end of a short hallway, Beta and Lunehhy stood in the center of the pad. "Okay... Three... Two... One... Now!"

The VR System activated, and Pioneer 2 fell away, being replaced by a rocky outcropping over looking a beach. The sun was just setting on the horizon of the beach, and the sea water was crashing up against the sheer cliff face. Beta felt his breath get taken away by the view. "Whoa..."

Lunehhy plopped herself down on the soft grass, staring out at the sea and the setting sun. She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them close. "This... This used to be my favorite place on Corel to sit and watch the sun set..." She didn't finish her sentence, but Beta didn't notice the hesitation in her voice.

"Yeah, I recognize this place... I once came here when I was a kid... Have you shown this to anyone else?" Asked Beta, sitting next to Lunehhy on the green grass. The air was slightly chilly, but not much so.

"No, not even HK has been here with me..." She said.

"Well... Why not? Aren't you and her like... Best friends or something?"

"We are... But... There are certain things you just can't do with an Android..." She said, casting a sidelong glance at Beta. And while the FOmar was rather dense, he wasn't stupid. Taking the initiative, he leaned in to kiss Lunehhy...


	8. Chapter Seven: Requiem for Lunehhy, Part...

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Trials of Beta

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Chapter Seven: Requiem for Lunehhy, Part Two

"We are... But... There are certain things you just can't do with an Android..." She said, casting a sidelong glance at Beta. And while the FOmar was rather dense, he wasn't stupid. Taking the initiative, he leaned in to kiss Lunehhy...

Their lips touched for the briefest of instants, and Lunehhy quickly pulled away, looking to the right, away from Beta. "I... I'm sorry. I can't..."

Perplexed by Lunehhy's actions, Beta leaned back, giving her space. "Why not? Is something wrong?"

Lunehhy sighed. "I still love him. It's... It's too soon. Not now..."

"Him?" Beta probed.

"Sephy... My... Fiancée." She said sadly, "I'm so sorry... I... I shouldn't have brought you here..."

"No no... It's alright. I'm glad you brought me here..." Beta said. He carefully selected his words, "So um... This Sephy... He didn't make it onto Pioneer 2, I take it?"

Lunehhy was silent for a few moments, then Beta noticed her lip trembling. He felt... Awkward, unsure how to proceed. "He... He was murdered! The day I arrived on Pioneer 2, someone murdered him!" She suddenly said, then begin to whimper quietly. "Why? Why did he have to die? Why was the love of my life taken away from me, not once, but twice!" She asked, more to life then to Beta.

"No one knows why things like that happen," Beta offered, trying to comfort the girl, "Just... The only you really can do is live... I'm sure Sephy would want you to do that."

Lunehhy chuckled, sniffling back tears. "Yeah, he would want that..." Her eyes were red, tears threatening to come at any moment. "Beta... Could you just hold me... Just for a little while?" Lunehhy asked, turning her head to look up into Beta's eyes. How could he resist that look? Without wasting time, he slipped his arms around Lunehhy, holding her close. Lunehhy placed one hand upon his chest, her other slipping around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder. "This... Is nice..."

"We can still be friends, right?" Beta asked. Lunehhy giggled, smiling despite herself.

"You cheat. That's my line!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Despite what you might be thinking, it never went any further then that... I felt sorry for Lunehhy, she had lost someone she loved... And now... I've lost her...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Beta came awake by water splashing on his face. He jerked upright, instinctually grabbing his Shadow Rod.

"Whoa! Easy there partner!" Alex said, stepping back away from Beta. The FOmar began to relax, seeing as how there was no immediate threat.

"How long was I out?" He inquired. He noticed they were no longer in the tunnel, but rather somewhere else. Did Alex carry him? The immediate room he found himself in was built more like something inside a space ship then anything previous encountered. There was a transporter pad behind them, and a screen next to the only other exit out was flashing red. The lighting here was bright, a stark contrast to the dim tunnel.

"About an hour, give or take. You were pretty beat, so I let you sleep. I found where the tunnel ends. We're here now, wherever here is..."


	9. Chapter Eight: Courage and Recklessness

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Trials of Beta

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Chapter Eight: Courage and Recklessness

The floor came rushing up to meet Beta as he was tossed into the room. "ALEX!" Beta screamed, scrambling to his feet, the door sliding shut and locking. It was a storage closest of some sort, spacious, with a few crates standing in the center of the room. The only way out was the same way in. Beta pounded on the hard metal door with his fists, screaming at the top of his lungs. "ALEX! ALEX! YOU IDIOT!! LET ME HELP YOU!!" Inhaling, he screamed the man's name, somehow dragging the two syllable word out into eight syllables. There came no reply from the other side of the door, yet still he slammed his fists against it, blood soaking through his gloved hands, staining the door with twin spots of crimson colored liquid. The pain in his hands didn't even register to his brain, so concerned he was with Alex's safety... With a heaving sob, he slammed both his fists in unison against the door one last time, then collapsed into a heap, his body whacked with violent sobs. "Stupid... Damn idiot!" Kilala was nowhere in sight...

__

~*~*~Earlier~*~*~

The motion sensors detected Beta and Alex as they neared the door. Beyond the transporter room was an equally sized room, four robots lining the wall on either side of the door opposite of them. Beta cast a gaze at the humanoid robots, but since they didn't react or do anything, he assumed that they were deactivated. A steady hum sounded behind him as Alex ignited his Photon Saber, the blue colored energy blade thrumming with power.

"From the looks of this place... I'd say it was a research facility of some kind. It's so... High tech..." Beta said aloud, observing his surroundings, moving closer to the door the robots flanked. "Say... How's that arm?"

With a buzz the four robots came to life, soulless red eyes gazing at the two. "InTRUdeRs... dEStrOY INtruDErS..." All four said in unison, their electronical voices distorted and warped. One of them swung it's arms at Beta, him being the closest to it. The first punch connected squarely with Beta's chest, knocking the wind out of the Force and sending him careering to the ground, his Shadow Rod sent flying. Alex was quick, giving a savage warcry as he jumped over Beta's body, bringing his Photon Saber down on the robot's head, the metal giving way to the intense energy of the blade. Without missing a beat he spun his body around, bringing the Photon Saber out of the first robot's head and continuing through to decapitate the second.

Beta gasped for air, trying to force oxygen into his lungs again. Two more robots began to close on him, their intentions deadly. He raised hand, an arc of lightening jumping from his finger tips to lance the nearest robot, the Zonde spell causing the robot to short circuit and explode, the small blast toppling over it's comrade in arms. Seeing his chance and taking it, Beta rolled onto his side and sprang up to his feet, scrambling to snag his dropped Shadow Rod.

The decapitated robot's body fell to the floor, it's head smashing into the wall. A small boom sounded next to Alex, and he spun to see Beta spring to his feet, the fourth and final robot on the ground. It began to work itself into an upright position. "I don't think so." Alex said, drawing his Autogun and bringing it to bear on the hapless bot. He squeezed the trigger once, sending a blue Photon bullet screaming from the barrel into the robot's head, destroying it with one shot.

Grabbing hold of his weapon, Beta spun around in time to see Alex deliver the killing blow to their enemy, executioner style. "Gods damn..." He winced, his chest hurting like he had just been hit by a battering ram. "Ow man... Those things hit hard..."

"Really? We need to keep on our toes, looks like your friend HK left us some playmates..." Alex said, crossing to the door the robots were guarding. "The motion sensors doesn't seem to work on this one," He said, as the door refused to open, even though the four lights on it were green, indicating that it was unlocked, "Looks like we gotta open it manually." Holding the saber in one hand, Alex D. pressed his free hand against the opening of the door. With a hum the door slide open. "Come on, let's go... Agh!" He winced and grabbed his left arm, hissing in pain. Beta stepped forward, concerned for his partner.

"Alex! Are you okay?" He inquired. The blue haired man nodded slowly, squeezing his arm where that worm thing had impaled him with one of it's tentacles.

"It's nothing, just my wound acting up."

"Well... Let me cast a healing spell on you." Beta offered, fully ready to do so.

"I said it was nothing... God, you worry more then my mother. I'm fine..." He said, standing upright. "Let's move on." Alex was lying. He wasn't fine and he knew it. The wound he had received didn't feel normal. He could feel it starting to spread, as if it wanted to consume him whole. It scared him, but his pride wouldn't let him show it. _I don't think any spell Beta can cast can cure me now... Rico had said that when the worm stabbed a creature with it's tentacle, the creature mutated... I wonder how long I have before I turn? I have to live long enough to see Rico again... Just one more time...!_

"Oh... Well um... If it bothers you anymore, just ask and I'll cast Resta on you." Beta offered as they passed through into the room beyond. The chamber was large, a platform over what appeared to be a bottomless pit. Overheard, three rings of light circled in slow, lazy Os, one inside the other, with the smallest rotating around a square pillar extending down from the ceiling. The floor of the platform appeared to be made out of a glass-like material, lines of light radiating from the edge of the platform inwards to the center.

"Yeah yeah." Alex said, looking over the edge, "Long way down. Don't wanna fall off."

Beta chuckled, "Yeah, that'd be bad."

Laying at there feet was another capsule. Since Lunehhy was no more, this could only have been left by Rico. Kneeling, Alex activated the capsule, the holographic image of Red Ring Rico appearing.

"This area... Apparently technology was involved in creating this. Why did they dig so deeply into the ground?" She adjusted her glasses, then blinked out as the recording ended.

"It's one mystery after another..." Beta said. His gaze drifted towards the center of the platform, then groaned, spotting eight more robots gathered around the center. "We've got hostiles."

Alex smirked, holding his Saber with both hands. "Let them come! Beta? Cover me!" He shifted his weight, then ran full tilt towards the mass of robots, his Saber held low.

* * *

__

Further investigation reveals that this area was once a mining platform converted into some sort of research facility. We found more then a couple computers and electrical information storage devices, and a few more capsules from Rico. I think Alex and Rico have some history together...?

All had been going well for the most part. The only opposition we encountered was the construction robots. With Alex's superior swordsmanship, and my magic, they stood no chance. But all that changed on the second level down in the facility.

* * *

A stark contrast to the shiny and bright upper level was the lower section of this facility, dark and dirty. It appeared that a large scale battle had been fought down here: There were scorch marks on the walls and floor, and the walls were also pocketed with holes and dried blood. "My god..." Beta gasped. "What happened down here?"

"I have no clue..." Alex grunted. Without further ado, the blue haired man left the transporter room. Almost as soon as he steps outside the room he is ambushed from above by a robot that had been hanging upside down on the roof. This robot was an advanced combat model, more fluid in it's movements, more deadly in it's attacks then the construction bots could ever be. The bulk of the robot fell onto Alex, knocking him to the ground and pinning him beneath it.

Without wasting a second's time, Beta tackled the bulky robot, using inertia to knock the bot off of his friend. Taking it to the ground, Beta raised up his Shadow Rod to strike at its head, but in this instant, the robot flung it's lower body upward, tossing the FOmar off of it. It continues this motion, flipping off the ground. Spinning to face the intruders, it was meet by a Photon bullet from Alex's Autogun. The force of the impact as the Photon bullet slams into it's torso causes it to take a halting step backwards, but it adjusts for this and moves forward without regard for danger. BLAM! BLAM! Alex managed to squeeze off two more rounds before a yellow Photon bullet roared past his shoulder.

Beta landed on his buttocks, growled a curse, then stood up to his feet. Alex began firing upon the robot, once, twice, three times and it STILL didn't drop! Spitting, Beta draws forth from the surrounding air Photon energy, channeling it into Lunehhy's Bravace, then took aim, squeezing the trigger. The powered up bullet screams past Alex, slamming into the robot's body with enough force to knock it back into the wall. The robot slides down the wall, twitching wildly, then explodes.

"Damn! Did you see that? I shot it three time, and it didn't drop! It kept coming, like it was possessed!" Alex exclaimed. Reholstering Lunehhy's Bravace pistol, Beta shrugged.

"Look at it this way, you softened it up for me."

"Damn right I did." Alex started for the door, paused, then spat where the robot had 'died.' "God damn Bot." He said, striking out into the next room.

What he saw waiting for him was no less then a small army of robots and probes. Alex's jaw dropped. This was the largest group encountered thus far, consisting of three of those blue robots Alex had just fought plus a goldenrod variety of the same bot, twenty or so of the construction bots, a single attack group of Canadine probes, and one Army Garanz, a behemoth of an attack robot which strikes at its targets from afar with deadly missiles. To fight such a group would mean suicide... Alex quickly backpedaled into the room he just left. "Let's try to find another way, shall we?"

"Why? What's wrong with this way?" Beta asked. He hadn't seen what was in the next room.

"You don't want to know, trust me." Alex said, blocking the door with his arm. "There's another door here, let's see where it takes us." Alex said, motioning towards the east door, although it was locked, there was the unlocking mechanism right next to it. Beta didn't argue with Alex, trusting the experienced Hunter's judgement. Stepping to the door, he pressed his hand on the unlocking devices, and the lights on the door switched from red to green. Stepping forward, the door slides open, revealing a storage closest of some sort. "No good, it's a dead end." Beta said, then suddenly felt Alex grab hold of him from behind, lifting him up.

"Wait here Beta... I'll handle the group by myself..." Alex said.

The floor came rushing up to meet Beta as Alex tossed him into the room, grabbing hold of Beta's Sato mag in the process. "ALEX!" Beta screamed, scrambling to his feet, the door sliding shut and locking. The only way out was the same way in. Beta pounded on the hard metal door with his fists, screaming at the top of his lungs. "ALEX! ALEX! YOU IDIOT!! LET ME HELP YOU!!" Inhaling, he screamed the man's name, somehow dragging the two syllable word out into eight syllables. There came no reply from the other side of the door, yet still he slammed his fists against it, blood soaking through his gloved hands, staining the door with twin spots of crimson colored liquid. The pain in his hands didn't even register to his brain, so concerned he was with Alex's safety... With a heaving sob, he slammed both his fists in unison against the door one last time, then collapsed into a heap, his body whacked with violent sobs. "Stupid... Damn idiot!"

Kilala struggled in Alex's grip, hissing up a storm. "Calm down." Alex said, "This is just a temporary thing. You're better then my Mag. I need your help... Help me, please..." Kilala slowly stopped struggling, the blue cat-like Mag looking up at Alex with intelligent eyes. It seemed to be considering Alex's words. It cooed softly, giving it's consent for him to use it. Nodding, he released the Sato, and it took up a position opposite his Bana Mag over his other shoulder, granting him it's protective powers. Gripping his Photon Saber tightly with both hands, Alex took a deep breath, and approached the north door. _Rico... I WILL live to see you again!_


	10. Chapter Nine: Crouching Ranger, Hidden F...

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Trials of Beta

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Chapter Nine: Crouching Ranger, Hidden Force

Beta sat with his back resting on the crate in the center of the room, his eyes locked on the door, the red lights on it blinking. His stomach growled angrily, demanding food. Beta leaned his head back, trying to ignore the pains in his mid-section. He couldn't tell how long it's been, an hour, three, a week? He couldn't tell, but it felt like he's been in here forever.

"Beta..." Came a playful female voice behind him. Turning his head slightly, Beta caught a glimpse of Lunehhy, smiling kindly at him. As he tried to focus on her though, she blurred and then vanished.

"Just a hallucination... Great... I feel so tired..." His head dipped forward, then jerked up again. "No... I can't fall asleep..."

It's been a long time since he had heard anything from the other side of the door. The last sound he had heard was a series of muffled explosions. Was Alex alive? At this point, Beta felt so depressed that he doubt the Hunter was. "God damn idiot... Why? Why didn't you let me help you?! Why....?" He cried out, a fit of tears threatening to take over him.

With a chime, the red lights on the door turned green, and Beta stared at it for a long second, trying to determine if he had imagined it or if Alex had finally come back for him at last. The door slide open, and there stood Alex in his blue armor. With a new found surge of strength he didn't know he had, Beta sprung to his feet and hugged the other man. "Alex, you're al-!" He cried out as he felt the figure sharply knee him in the groins. A fist slammed into his gut, doubling him over, and the figure landed a hard left hook on his face, knocking the Force back, breaking his nose in the process.

"Sorry Romeo, but you've got the wrong Juliet." Said the figure, a sea green haired female wearing a white and pink Ranger uniform. Snickering came from behind the lone Ranger, the high pitch voice distinctively female. Beta brought a hand to his face, trying to stem the bleeding from his nose.

"Why'd you hit me?" He asked, still reeling from the knee to his manhood.

"Why'd I clobber you? It's the standard hugging fee. Not a bad deal, if I do say so myself." She said, pushing up her glasses with her middle finger.

Huffing, Beta pushed himself up using his Shadow Rod as support, wincing in pain. Concentrating on the healing spell, Beta casted Resta upon himself, the warmth of the spell healing him and relieving the pain he was experiencing. "Get out of my way." He growled.

"EXCUSE ME?" The girl asked, her words dripping with attitude, purposely blocking the door.

Beta didn't waste time with words, bringing his weapon into a ready position and thrusting forward with lightening quickness. The Ranger jumped back, narrowly missing getting hit with Beta's Shadow Rod. "HEY asshole!" She screamed, but Beta was already plowing past her, barely noticing the other female Force behind her. This one had blue hair, and wore a blue and white robe. Their gazes meet for the briefest of instants, her sad blue eyes locking with Beta's chestnut colored eyes, then Beta broke the gaze, running to the north door, slamming his hand against the opening mechanism. The door slid open, and Beta rushed into the room, and gasped at what he saw.

The wreckage of various robots were strewn about the room, the walls and floor burnt with scorch marks. But that wasn't what he was gasping at. Lying on the floor near the door was Alex's left arm, cleanly sliced off at the shoulder. "No..." He felt a surge of sadness washing over him, but then noticed a trail of blood further ahead, leading to another door in the north-east wall. Without missing a beat, he ran to the door where he saw the trial of blood, the motion sensors detecting him and opening as he ran full speed through into the long hallway. The trail of blood moved up from the ground to the left wall, it looked like Alex had began leaning on the wall and moved forward, leaving a trail of dark crimson blood. Pushing himself harder, pumping his arms for added speed, Beta followed the trail to it's end.

The room where the trail of blood had ended was like the one where it started, large, the floor brown with some sort of odd light display playing over the ground. Lying off to one side was Alex's body, a construction bot standing over it, the tip of Alex's blue Photon Saber sticking out of its back. Even with one arm and severe bleeding, Alex somehow managed to take out another small group of the construction bots.

Moving quickly, Beta went to Alex's side, kneeling and grabbing a hold of his shoulders, ignoring the warm sticky blood that seeped from his severed left arm . "Alex! Wake up! Say something! Please!"

Slowly, weakly, the man's eyes fluttered open. Renewed with this sign of hope, Beta put his hands on Alex's chest, calling forth the Resta spell from memory, casting it repeatedly on Alex. His shoulder stopped bleeding, the wound closing as the healing light restored him. Even though Resta was a powerful healing spell, it couldn't regrow limbs.

With a sputtering cough, Alex felt the warmth come back to his body, life returning to him. "Be... Beta?" He said weakly as the Force lifted him up into his arms, cradling him. "I to... Told you to-" His sentence was cut short by Beta's lips pressing onto his, too weak to struggle against the man's embrace and loving kiss.

"Awww... How sweet! Where's my camera?" Came the obnoxious female's voice abruptly, ruining the mood.

"This is awkward." Said the other girl, resting her staff on her shoulder.

~*~*~*~*~*~

__

I don't know what caused me to kiss Alex then. Even now the reason is a mystery to me... Maybe it was because I thought I had lost him... We have been together for only a week, but I've grown attached to him, even more so when Lunehhy had died.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex leaned against the wall. There was a nervous air of unease between him and Beta. The man had just kissed him, of course he would be a bit uneasy around him. Beta was in the process of explaining what they were doing down here to the two girls. They had introduced themselves, the loud and annoying Ranger named Yuno, while the quieter Force's name was Uriko.

"And so I have to kill HK-55 and avenge Lunehhy's murder." Beta finished explaining. Yuno yawned, making a show of it, and then spoke.

"Hmmm... Sounds like fun. Sure, we'll tag along, right Uriko." It was a statement, not a question. The other Force merely nodded her head.

Beta was glad to have some more allies. If what they had encountered here was any indication of what lay ahead, they'd need all the help they could get. "Okay... As soon as Alex is rested, we'll move on... Alex...? Are you sure you don't want to go back to Pioneer 2? With that..."

"I'm positive... I may have only one arm, but I'm still useful." _No way am I giving up my only chance to see Rico again..._

"Hey, how exactly did you lose your arm anyhow? One of 'em bots lop it off?" Yuno posed the question.

Alex was silent, and Yuno figured he wasn't going to answer, so she turned away, fiddling with her Crush Bullet Shotgun. "I cut it off with my own Saber..." Alex said finally.


	11. Chapter Ten: Courage And Recklessness Re...

Trials of Beta__

_Chapter Ten: Courage and Recklessness Revisited_

"I cut it off with my own Saber..." Alex said, causing everyone to look at him in shock.

"Whoa… If your left arm offends thee, cut it off, eh?" Yuno said, not quite taking the man serious. "I bet some bot just cut if off and you're too embarrassed to tell us."

"Yuno lay off." Beta said.

"No, let the fool think what she wants," Alex said, eyeing the Ranger coldly.

Yuno returned the icy gaze, standing off with the Hunter. Neither looked away, neither backed down. Uriko cleared her throat. "Should we perhaps now move on?"

"Alex?" Beta inquired to the man's status.

"Yeah, I'm good to go. I've had more then long enough to regain my strength, and the longer we wait, the more ground HK gains on us..." He said, pushing himself off the wall, his gaze never leaving Yuno's. He was never one to back down from a challenge, and if this rookie of a Ranger thought he'd be an easy victim just because he had only one arm, she was in for a whole world of hurt.

"Yuno...?" The blue haired Force inquired meekly.

"Hmph... Let's move out Uriko. Beta, Alex, we got your back. Well, Beta's back anyways. Captain Ragol here doesn't need us to watch his back, ain't that right Hunter boy?"

"Beta, did you happen to hear anything just now? No? Must be my imagination then." Alex jested, turning an indifferent shoulder to the Ranger, who seemed a mite bit infuriated by the fact she wasn't able to evoke the response she wanted from him. The FOmar, on the other hand, just wanted to remain neutral in this small feud.

"Huh? Wha? Why are you asking me? Don't drag me into this mess!" He replied quickly, holding up his hands defensively as he followed along behind Alex. Brushing some of her sea green hair away from her face, Yuno assumed flank guard position, her oversized Crush Bullet Shotgun in the ready to fire position. Uriko brought up the rear, since she was the best suited for this role.

_Stupid... Dumb Hunter. You think you're so cool just because you cut off your own arm... Well you're not cool! You're dumb and stupid and and and... Ooooooo! You make me so mad!_ Yuno fumed, her grip tightening on the handle of her Crush Bullet, causing her knuckles to turn a shade of white.

"Yuno, calm yourself please…" Uriko suggested. Beta noticed that the FOmarl didn't talk much, she just kind of hung out in the background, not drawing attention to herself. It reminded him of himself long ago…

The way was surprising short, just past another few rooms and activating a third pillar. The battle worn mining area gave way to what looked like the entrance to an underground building. The evidence of battle was here, but thus far, they have found no human corpses…

~*~*~*~*~*~

What we had stumbled into was a large ship, made by alien technology much more advanced then our own. How had the people of Pioneer 1 found it? Was it by accident? Or did someone already 'know' it was there? No… That can't be possible… Can it?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Almost immediately after entering the ship, Beta and his friends find themselves in a large hall, the walls made out of some sort of dark, semi-organic/metallic material, the likes of which none of them had ever seen.

"Whoa... This place is pretty high tech, in a creepy scare the bejeezus outta ya kinda way..." Alex said, inspecting a surface closely. Pressing his hand against it, he was surprised it felt warm, like it was alive, "It's warm… And… I can feel it pulsating!" He announced.

In the center of the room, four yellow circles appeared, and within these circles were a single alien creature. The creature, flanked by three identical twins, walked on stubby legs towards the intruders into their ship. Each arm was a blade, and their purpose was painfully obvious: Death. They had no eyes, or at least, nit eyes like we know them. With dark, almost black hardened exoskeleton, the creatures were unlike anything any of them could ever dream of in their worst nightmares.

Right off the bat Yuno let loose with her Crush Bullet, yellow Photon bullets arcing out from the front of the gun, to impact against their attackers, doing little damage other then a minor annoyance. "You want a piece of this?!" She screamed at them, "Then come get a piece of mama!"

Beta shook his head, amazed at Yuno and her bloodlust. Alex spearheaded the assault, engaging the foursome in close quarter's combat, while himself and Uriko were contently to support from afar, she using support magic, while Beta favored the handy Foie spell. Granted, he had more advanced magic, but magic didn't discern between ally and foe: If he let loose with a Rafoie now, he'd run the risk of getting Alex caught in the blast.

May your soul rest in peace. Beta though as the first beast went down, only to be replaced by another one that phased into the room, causing everyone present save Uriko and Yuno to be taken aback.

"What the bloody hell?" Alex voiced Beta's thoughts exactly... Well, almost.

"It's as we suspected. Forget them, cut the ones that matter and run. We can't defeat them, they will just keep on coming!" Uriko shouted, following her own advice and fleeing the area, ducking into a northwest running corridor, Yuno in hot pursuit.

"They're reinforcing their numbers! Get the hell out ya idiots!" She shouted to Alex and Beta. Cursing as more of the creatures, as well as their bigger brothers, started phasing into the battlefield, Alex followed the two women, with Beta being the last one out. The creatures gave pursuit, hot on the trail of the group of four intruders. Drawing Lunehhy's Bravace, Beta aimed the gun behind him and fired randomly as he ran to keep up with Alex and the others. 

The corridor spilled into another great hall, where a trap laid waiting for the quartet. Uriko was the first into the chamber, Yuno a split second behind. From the far side phased in two more humanoid creatures, these one with one blade arm and one shield arm, unlike the smaller, more squat defenders. These were obviously designed for attacking outright. They leapt forth on powerful legs, crossing the distance between themselves and Yuno and Uriko in a single bound. Yuno shoved Uriko aside, brought up her Crush Bullet and fired point blank range into the Delsaber as it came crashing down on top of her. She screamed as it's sword arm pierced her shoulder, then squeezed the trigger a second time, it's mid-section being blown away by the five Photon shells fired into it. It's heavy body dragged Yuno to the ground, trapping her underneath it's weight. "Shit!" She cursed as she struggled to free herself.

It's partner landed right next to the two, then closed on Uriko, with every intention of cutting her to shreds.

Alex bursts into the chamber, saw what was happening, and immediately went to Uriko's aid, rushing the Delsaber from behind. It ignored Alex's attack, it's single track mind locked on eliminating Uriko.

Fear etched itself onto Uriko's face as she rolled onto her back. She knew the mission would be dangerous, but this was beyond anything she had prepared for. "Rabarta!" She shouted the name of the spell as she shoved her staff in the creature's direction. A spray of frost magic shot forth, engulfing the beast and encasing it in rock solid ice. Beta, the last one in, was panting. "More coming up! They're right behind me!" Kilala growled, more Delsabers and other beasts phasing in. It was like the whole ship was coming to kill them.

"Is there no end!?" Alex exclaimed.

"Hey! Help me assholes!" Yuno cried, still trapped under the dead Delsaber. Alex went to help Yuno as the Delsabers closed in for the attack, the beasts from the first chamber pouring into the room. They were surrounded on both sides and heavily out-numbered; things did not look good for them.

Kilala nudged Beta's neck, letting him know it was time. Nodding his head in understanding, Beta rushed to stand near Yuno's trapped form, then let his Mag do it's job, unleashing it's pent up energy in the form of a Photon Blast. Throwing his head back and his arms out to his side, Beta summoned forth a creature born of the mixture of magic and technology, a ring of light surrounding him, protecting him from those who would seek to attack him during this time of vulnerability. Seeing Beta doing this, Uriko immediately went to his side, adding her Mag's own Photon energy to the blast to help strengthen it, as well as to seek the relative protection of his shield.

Time froze for Beta, a Delsaber in mid-jump, three already on top of them, countless more monstrosities pouring from where they had just come from. Why? Why are they so intent on killing us? Pialla… Please… Please help us… Hearing Beta's request, Pialla, a powerful entity bound to the will of it's creators, came forth, emerging from a spatial portal above Beta's head. The tall, dark purple summon gathered Photon energy in it's stubby wings, then shot out rays of purple energy, lancing all the monsters around them many times, inflicting untold harm on the enemies of it's master. It remained a second longer to view its handiwork, then retreated to its haven. Time returned to normal, and all those attacking them abruptly just fell over, many holes in their bodies from Pialla's assault. Beta let out a sigh of relief.

"Way to go buddy!" Alex shouted, knocking over the corpse of the Delsaber trapping Yuno.

"I am most impress..." Uriko said.

"I was just about to do that!" Yuno said, brushing dust off her uniform as she stood up. They all went tense, waiting for the next wave to appear. But it never came. Perhaps, upon seeing the attack, whoever or whatever was sending those creatures out stopped, not wanting to send more of it's defenders to their doom. It was hard to say. Wiping his hand across his brow, Beta grinned and shrugged. He hadn't even noticed that his veil had fallen off somewhere along the way. "You're kinda cute with that veil off, Beta." Yuno said, pressing a hand to her shoulder to try and stop the bleeding.

Beta blushed, realizing that his veil had indeed fallen off, but he was more concerned about Yuno's nasty shoulder wound. "Here, lemme heal that."

"Go ahead..." She allowed him to heal her.

Concentrating on the wound, Beta's hands glowed, Resta healing Yuno's body back to full health. "There..."

"Hmmm... When this is all over, ya wanna go have dinner with me, or something? My treat..." She asked him.

Alex cleared his throat before the FOmar could answer. "I don't think NOW is an appropriate time for you two to be getting all lovey-dovey."

"Quiet, you're just jealous I'm asking him instead of you." Yuno accused Alex of jealousy.

"Um... How about, no?" He retorted.

Beta was amazed, not more then a second ago, they were all fighting for their lives, and now, once the danger has pass, Yuno and Alex were bickering amongst themselves. He himself was still feeling the adrenaline pumping in his body, his senses on full alert, which was why he sensed it coming before the others knew it was upon them. "Watch out!" He shouted as he shoved Yuno into Alex, sending the two crashing to the ground in a mass of legs and arms. Not more then an instant later, something invisible came running full speed, slamming into Beta with it's head. The force of the impact sent Beta flying like rag doll, him smashing into the wall, blood splattering from the back of his head as it slammed against the wall. Darkness enveloped him.

"Holy shit!" Someone far away shouted, their voice barely above a whisper to Beta. He was losing grip on reality, fading with the light. Am I… Dying? Was his last thought before the cold engulfed him whole...


	12. Chapter Eleven: Reason Prior to Madness

Trials of Beta__

Chapter Eleven: Reason Prior to madness

~*~*~*~*~*~

A Week And A Half Prior... 

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I count five of 'em. They're just loafing about, like they own the place or something," Lunehhy observed, peering through the partially opened door into the chamber beyond, where a small group of reptilian creatures were, as she had said, just loafing about like a pack of squatters with nothing better to do then stare at each other. The elevator from the cave under the Central Dome had took her and HK-55 to this place. It felt like they were inside a volcano!

"Hmmm... I see..." HK-55 said, standing opposite Lunehhy, her Soul Eater Scythe at the ready. As always, Lunehhy was dressed in black leather outfit, trimmed with red, her ever present green Beret sitting atop her head.

"I think we should just rush 'em, we can take em, no prob." Lunehhy mentally gauged their chances of winning, found the results favorable, and suggested a plan of attack to HK, who shook her head.

"It's that kind of rookie thinking that causes most Hunters to lose their life. I suggest we take it slow, don't rush into a potentially dangerous situation." HK countered.

"Okay, so... Like we always do then?" Lunehhy said, an almost perverted grin crossing her face.

HK nodded. "Yup. Improvise." Gripping her Soul Eater tightly, HK braced herself for action as Lunehhy drew her Bravace.

"On three... Three!" Lunehhy said then threw open the door the rest of the way, bringing her Bravace to bear on the nearest threat as she crossed the threshold. The creature was some weird mixed of a Booma and a shark like creature, and with all the charm and tendencies for violence of both. As Lunehhy drew a bead on the nearest threat, HK-55 rushed in, her Scythe raised high as she double stepped it towards another target, her blood red eyes glowing with murderous glee.

Throwing up their arms, the beasts let loose a loud war cry, bellowing out an alert to others near them, then went on the offensive, moving to attack the intruders into their lair.

The ground underfoot was hard, like granite or some other magma-esque rock. The floor wasn't so much of a floor as it was more a bridge providing access for foot traffic over a small lava lake. It could probably support a lot of weight and take plenty of abuse and then some before it would ever collapse. Brushing aside these rather distracting observations her CPU was making, HK engaged the first to near her with a fierce downward hack of her Soul Eater, cleaving solidly into the base of it's skull, continuing through with the swing, and lopping off it's head in one clean stroke. Blood gurgled up from it's esophagus and jetted up into the air like a water fountain in intervals corresponding to it's heartbeat. The beast remained erect a moment longer, not yet realizing it's head was gone and therefore was technically dead. Dodging the random swings of the headless shark beast, HK-55 moved to the next in line, weaving a wave of death in her wake. Anything that wasn't Lunehhy was quickly cut down with extreme prejudice.

A yellow Photon bullet rang over her shoulders, impacting the face of the last shark beast HK-55 was getting ready to send to the afterlife. The Photon bullet forced it's way past the tough scaly hide of it's head, exploding out the back of it's head leaving an exit wound the size of HK's fists. HK-55 blinked, then growled, shouting back to Lunehhy. "You stole my kill! We agreed no stealing each other's kills!"

"Sorry!" Lunehhy replied. That was the last of the five, "But I just HAD to get more then one kill, to hold up my rep, ya know. AND! We also agreed that neither of us would hog all the action!" Lunehhy retorted, justifying her actions.

"Two wrongs don't make a right." HK-55 replied. Lunehhy grinned.

_If only Beta could see this side of HK. I don't know why she's so mean to him. I guess she's just trying to protect me from getting hurt again. She's such a sweetheart..._ Lunehhy thought to herself as HK tried the north door.

"It's locked." The HUcasl announced.

"I'll try this one over here then," Lunehhy said as she sauntered over to a door lying in the east wall, "Hmm?" She noticed laying on the floor was a capsule, "What's this?"

Stooping and activating it, a hologram of Red Ring Rico appeared and delivered a message. Lunehhy gasped. "Hey HK! It's Red Ring Rico! She's alive and somewhere ahead of us! I'm gonna leave a capsule next to hers!"

"Understood, I'll go on ahead of you." HK announced as Lunehhy began to record. As HK passed behind Lunehhy, a thought occurred to her, seeing Lunehhy's back. _It would be the perfect opportunity. No one would ever know... No one would suspect me..._ The thought was alien, yet strangely it was at the same time irrevocably hers. Shaking her head to clear it of the odd thought which was both hers and not her own, HK left to search for the means to open the north door.

Lunehhy shuddered, feeling HK's gaze upon her back. _What's she doing? It's creeping me out... Oh, she's leaving finally..._

The heat pounded them constantly, so much that half a day into the volcanic caves left Lunehhy drenched with sweat. "Geez, you think it's hot enough in here?" Lunehhy said as she kicked over another Evil Shark, as Red Ring Rico had so dubbed them, holstering her Bravace.

"It could be hotter." HK-55 said. They were standing on a large bridge that spanned across a lake of liquid lava. Twin lava falls cascaded down from somewhere above them off to one side of the bridge. The molten rock gave off insane amounts of heat, it was a wonder these creatures could survive down here. Lunehhy felt sorry for whoever had to work in here.

"You're such a pessimist!" Lunehhy exclaimed.

"No, I'm just realistic, nothing more." Hk-55 countered her partner's accusation.

"Uh huh... Well, maybe you could 'realist' me a nice, tall ice cold drink, with some ice cream, and chocolate. Yum!" Lunehhy said, rubbing her belly.

HK-55 promptly shook her head, "Humans, just when you think you've figured 'em out, they evolve into something completely off the charts." She said under her breath.

"What was that?" Lunehhy asked, casting a curious glance over her shoulder at the Android, having heard her say something but not heard what she had said exactly.

"Hmmm...? Nothing." HK-55 denied saying anything.

"Aw... Talking to yourself is a bad habit, but as long as you don't answer yourself, then we're all cool."

"Weren't you complaining just a minute ago about being too hot?" HK jested.

"Er..." Lunehhy grinned hesitantly, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand, "I did say that, huh? Oh well... Let's get going, hopefully we can find someplace where the miners slept, or ate, or someplace like that."

Nodding, HK took a step closer to the edge, then looked down at the lake below. The red hot lava flowed like sluggish, bright yellow and orange water, going deeper down into the earth. She could only speculate where, though.

"Hurry, hurry!" Lunehhy urged.

The path eventually lead them to an orange colored teleportation pad. The two hunters were busy in a conversation as they came upon it.

"So I'm saying, obviously this place goes further down, or maybe back up into the Central Dome, where the workers were housed. That's why we didn't see any sort of living quarters, canteen, or other such place. It's all further down, or further up." Lunehhy was in the process of explaining the reason why they didn't find any signs of the people who used to work here.

"I don't doubt that this thing goes further down, but I highly doubt people worked here. There's nothing of value to mine. The rock that makes up the walls of this place aren't the right kind of ore to do much of anything useful with. This place was most likely a hold over, or pass through area to the real mine." HK presented her counter-point.

"Maybe they- Oh look, a teleport pad..." Lunehhy was about to counter HK's counter, but then took notice of the pad.

"Hmmm... Yes, but where does it go?" HK-55 posed the million Meseta question.

Lunehhy hopped in front of it, throwing her arms to either side, "Isn't it obvious? This will take us into the Central Dome! Come on, we're only one step away from solving the mystery behind the loss of contact with Pioneer 1!" Without allowing HK to say otherwise, Lunehhy hopped on the pad, waving as she vanished in a flash of light. HK scoffed, then she too stepped on the pad, feeling her CPU temporary go haywire as it simultaneously existed in two different locations at the exact same time. Then all went back to normal as she appeared on the destination pad.

The air here was much cooler, but it was a natural cool, not artificial like one would expect inside the Central Dome. Also, the walls and such were carved out of the surrounding rock, meaning they weren't inside the Central Dome. "Only one step away, eh?"

"Oh... Be quiet you nay-sayer!" Lunehhy steamed, kicking some water at HK. Before the female Android could react, Lunehhy darted through the only door leading in or out of this place into the chamber beyond. The standing water came up to her ankles, and she immediately dropped into the water, splashing it all over herself. "OH! I'm in heaven!" She exclaimed, "It's so nice and cool here! I can see why they didn't want to stay long up there where it's eight hundred thousand degrees in the shade, when it's so nice down here!"

"Eight hundred thousand? If it was that..."

"It's called sarcasm!" Lunehhy cut HK off before she could complete her sentence. Abruptly, the north door chimed, and slide open. Lunehhy spun to her feet as she heard a roar coming from it. Standing there was an green insectoid creature, long scythe like blades on it's arms. "Oh hell, another Grass Assassin!"

This wasn't the first one they had encountered, and they knew how to deal with it. Drawing her Bravace and getting off a quick series of pop shots, Lunehhy managed to hit two out of four times, one Photon round slamming into it's armored chitin hide, another hitting it's knee joint on it's foremost leg. Letting loose an angry bellow, the creature scurried forward on insect like legs, raising one of it's blade arms above it's head to delivered a killing blow to Lunehhy, but it wasn't going to be like that. Jumping from behind Lunehhy, HK-55 brought her Soul Eater in an upward slicing motion, severing the blade arm at the joint, dropping it to the ground. Bellowing in agony, the Grass Assassin continued it's mindless, relentless assault, but was made quick work of by Lunehhy and HK-55. However, they didn't kill it, just disable by cutting off all it's limbs. This way, they could help stem the spread of these things, as they seemed to reproduce in death.

"Eck... We got more company. Tell 'em to go away, I'm not done cooking dinner yet." Lunehhy said to HK as a small group of Evil Sharks made on their position. In other words, Lunehhy just gave HK permission to 'Hog all the kills.' The Android would have grinned, if she were able to.__


	13. Chapter Twelve: Madness Masking Reason

Trials of Beta

_Chapter Twelve: Madness Masking Reason_

"There's too many of them!" Lunehhy shouted, firing her Bravace behind her into the on-coming wave of Evil Sharks and NanoDragons as HK-55 hurried to join her at the transporter.  
  
          After the waterfall cave, everything had gone to the proverbial Nine Hells. At first, this cavern had only light scatterings of monsters, but the further they got from the way they came in the more monsters sprang up. The way back was lost, too many beasts to fight through, and maybe it was just Lunehhy's imagination, but they appeared to be guiding their movement to this transporter. Was it a trap?  
  
          HK-55 swung her Soul Eater in a wide side-to-side arc, pivoting her waist as she decapitated several Evil Sharks in one swing, but it was for naught, as for every one she killed two more seemed to take it's place. They would be overwhelmed very soon. "HK! Hurry up! Get over here!" Lunehhy called again. There was a loud wailing sound, and Lunehhy threw herself to the side as one of the NanoDragons fired a searing beam of blue light from it's mouth, killing several Evil Sharks in the process and scorching the earth where Lunehhy knelt seconds ago.  
  
          HK-55 hurriedly grabbed Lunehhy's hand and dragged/carried her to the   
transporter, activating it with a wave of her hand. The two disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing elsewhere. This particular elsewhere appeared to be the entrance to a mining cavern.  
  
Panting, Lunehhy grabbed her Simple Mailer and entered Beta's address. "We have to get Beta to send for help."  
  
"No! We don't need that weakling!" HK-55 countered harshly. Lunehhy recoiled slightly from the Android. In the short time down here, she has become more harsh.  
  
"Not just him by himself, but he can bring others down here, to clear this place. There's simply too many of them for us to deal with by ourselves."  
  
"Maybe you can't, but I can handle things by myself just fine." HK-55 said before leaving out the door, leaving Lunehhy alone. Shaking her head, she opened the Simple Mailer and began to record her message.  
  
"Beta! Please get this soon. We're in trouble. Come, quickly! Go to the Central Dome, and search for a cave near it. I left a capsule in that cave, it'll tell you how to get to us." She paused for a second, then added something else in as a last thought, "We're UNDER the Central Dome, in some sort of mine... Beta, get as- SHIT!!" She looked up in time to see the door open, and an Evil Shark standing there, but this was much bigger then any of the other Evil Sharks' she's seen thus   
far. She drew her Bravace as the yellow Evil Shark crossed the short distance between it and her. She managed to get off a pop shot before it came barreling down on her like a fright train, smashing her dropped Simple Mailer in the process.  
  
"Screw you!" She cursed as she dived under the swing of its blade arm, firing pointblank into its side as she sailed past it. Hitting the ground and rolling, she came up on her knees, firing into the beasts back as it turned around to face her. "DIE!" She screamed, squeezing the trigger as fast as she could, pumping round after round   
of Photon bullets into it.  
  
The beast bleed green blood, yet refused to go down as it shambled towards her like some undead zombie with a taste for redheads. She wasn't aware of HK's presence until after the Android bounded over her, bringing her Soul Eater up in an underhanded upper chop, cleanly cleaving the Evil Shark in two down it's center. The two halves of its body fell away from each other as HK turned to Lunehhy, narrowly missing being splattered with the creature's blood. At first the RAmarl felt relieved, but then something in HK-55's gaze unsettled her. "HK...?" She said attentively.  
  
The Android craned her neck to one side, then sharply snapped it in the other direction, as if she were popping her neck joints, exception HUcasels don't have neck joints. "Dark Falz..."  
  
"Huh?" Now Lunehhy was getting real confused, and more then a bit uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You must die, to bring back Dark Falz, the God of Destruction." HK said, her grip on the Soul Eater tightening as her gaze fell on Lunehhy once more, her posture and tone suddenly very aggressive.  
  
"What do you mean?! You're making no sense!"  
  
"I must revive Dark Falz... And you're in my WAY!" With the speed and grace of an experienced hunter, HK-55 brought her Soul Eater up and rained it down on Lunehhy. Lucky for the RAmarl, her instinct took over while her brain fumbled with confusion at the situation. Bringing up her right arm, her Barrier automatically activated, the Soul Eater rebounding as it slammed into an invisible shield over Lunehhy's arm, knocking HK-55 off balance. Her other hand simultaneously brought her Bravace up, pulling the trigger twice. The first shot found its mark, slamming into HK-55's torso and staggering her, while the second went wide, burning a hole in the wall behind HK.

Instantly recovering from her initial shock of HK's assault, Lunehhy fled the room, firing offhandedly behind her to slow HK's pursuit, but it was all in vain.

Powerful artificial muscles in HK-55's legs propelled the HUcasel forward, paying no heed to the Photon bullets whizzing past her. Were she human, or even Newman, adrenaline would be coursing through her bloodstream, numbing out all other sensations. Of course, being an Android, HK-55 doesn't have a bloodstream, but she was designed with something like adrenaline in her systems, which would allow her to go into an 'overdrive' like state. Unfortunate for Lunehhy as the Android bull charged the RAmarl, the synthetic adrenaline pushing her beyond her normal limits.

Even before her brain could catch up with the rest of her body, Lunehhy found herself being bulldozed over by the rampaging HUcasel, Scythe held with the curved blade low to the ground. Slamming into Lunehhy from behind, HK-55 used her inertia to knock the lighter Human to the ground, where her Soul Eater could deliver the finishing blow.

Finding herself suddenly propelled off her feet, her Bravace thrown from her hand, Lunehhy immediately braced herself for impact, bringing up her arms to shield her face as the rough ground meet her full on, her bare left arm taking quite a scrapping as she landed. The silver pistol clattered to the ground a few feet ahead of her. Without wasting a breath's time, Lunehhy rolled her body over to the left so she was facing up, the sharp tip of the Soul Eater digging into the ground where she lay just an instant ago.

Not giving HK a chance to recover and strike again, Lunehhy pushed up with her right hand, planting her left and rotating on it as she swept kicked HK's legs from under her. The sweep was executed perfectly, bringing the powerful Android down on her side amid a cloud of dust. Lunehhy continued the sweeping motion, pushing herself up to her feet.

She cast a glance at HK, and then scrambled for her Bravace. Scooping it up in one hand, Lunehhy spun on her heel, bringing her Bravace to bear on HK as the other landed the crescent blade on her shoulder. It was either pure luck or divine intervention that caused the flat side of the Soul Eater's blade to land on her shoulder.

Taking advantage of this situation, Lunehhy allowed herself to fall forward closer to HK, jamming the barrel of he Bravace up under HK's chin. The two froze, the energy blade of HK's Soul Eater held just inches from the back of Lunehhy's neck, the Bravace pistol of the other stuck under the Android's chin. Both knew that if the other acted, they would both die.

Lunehhy's chest heaved, her breathes coming in ragged gasps. "Why? Why are you doing this?" She demanded.

"Because He commands me to." HK replied, her eyes locking on Lunehhy's in a melodramatic contest of wills.

"He commands you? What the hell does that mean?! It's that damn weapon, isn't it? You started to change after you found it!" Sweet dotted her forehead, tiny beadlets forming and running down her face.

"I was destined to find the Soul Eater. Kireek had to pay the ultimate price for his foolish blunderings." HK bent her knees slightly as she said, taking advantage of Lunehhy not paying attention to her lower body.

"Kireek!? You mean you're the one who killed him?"

"Of course. Just like how I'll kill you!" Snapping her head back just as Lunehhy's pulled the trigger, HK could feel the heat emanating from the Photon bullet as it buzzes just centimeters pass her face, clipping her chin in the process. Simultaneously she brought her knee up hard and into Lunehhy's crotch, falling backwards and dragging the Soul Eater after her.

The instant HK threw her head back Lunehhy pulled the trigger of her Bravace, but despite being closer then point blank, she still missed. She knew what would happen next, the blade of HK's Soul Eater would close and cut through her neck, decapitating her like the so many Evil Sharks this weapon has slain. But that wasn't going to happen, not if she could help it. Acting without thinking, Lunehhy ducked her head down as she dropped into a split, just in time to be kneed by HK. Immense pain filled Lunehhy and her vision flashed white momentarily, stars whirling before her eyes. But even this was better then the alterative.

HK fell away from Lunehhy, landing on her rump as the other winced and fell to her knees, stunned by pain. Springing to her feet yet again, HK didn't close in on Lunehhy as she should have, but instead let her be, fleeing the area and disappearing through one of the doors.


	14. Interlude

_Trials of Beta_

_Interlude_

_Beta found himself in a vast, dark place. Pitch black as far as he could see in all directions, all encompassing and total. "Where am I?" His voice echoed back at him, repeated several times._

_All of a sudden, he heard a female giggling behind him, and he spun around. "Who's there?!" He demanded, not speaking but hearing his own voice._

_Before him was Lunehhy, her back turned to him. "Lunehhy!" He cried, and ran towards her, placing his hand on her shoulder, only to have her image flicker and vanish, reappearing several feet ahead of him. "Huh? What gives?" He gave chase to the fleeing flickers of Lunehhy, always so close, just out of his grasp, and she was getting further away from him with each pass, until at last she was but a speck on the horizon. But he didn't give up, still he ran, determined to catch up to her._

_"Where do you think you're going?" Came HK-55's voice suddenly to his left, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. Her image floated just a foot off the ground, or rather, what he perceived as the ground._

_"YOU! You're the one who killed Lunehhy!" He accused her, pointing a condemning finger._

_"No, you killed Lunehhy." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest insolently, "See for yourself."_

_The scene of Lunehhy's death replayed itself before his eyes, like a movie. As the blade of the Soul Eater pierced Lunehhy's back, HK-55's form changed to that of Beta's own image. Beta took a step back, then looked at his hands. They were covered in blood, Lunehhy's blood. Screaming, he tried desperately to wipe the blood off on his robe. "No! No, no, no, no! It's all lies! I didn't kill Lunehhy! I didn't!"_

_"Yes you did. If you weren't there, I would have never dropped my guard." Beta wasn't sure when it had happened, but Lunehhy was standing where HK was only a little while ago._

_"Lunehhy? No. It's... N-not my fault! I didn't mean to! Please, forgive me!" He tried to step forward and embrace the red head RAmarl, but as he put his arms around her body she swirled and vanished like a cloud of dust blown by a strong breeze. "LUUUUUNEHHHHHHY!!" Falling to his knees, Beta began to weep into his hands._

_"God, you're such a baby." Alex D. said, shaking his head as he crossed both arms across his chest, standing over Beta. "Wah! Wah! Wah!  All you do is cry. Do us all a favor, grow a pair, would ya?"_

_"Alex?" He said, wiping away tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry."_

_"And stop apologizing! It's making me sick. Be a man for once!"_

_"A man? All Beta will ever be is a wimp. A weak little child, always wanting to cry to his mama." HK said, appearing behind Beta._

_"And you're so dumb. All you think about is avenging my death, but you don't see the higher picture." Lunehhy said, she too behind him, "If HK-55 brings back the terror, all sorts of bad stuff will happen."_

_"'The Terror?'" Beta asked inquisitively._

_"Yeah. The Terror. Don't just avenge me, stop her."_

_"Stop me? As if. I'll kill him and mount his head on the wall above my bed."_

_"I don't doubt that." Alex said._

_"NO! NO! STOP! Shut up!" Beta shot to his feet, the images of Lunehhy, Alex D., and HK-55 vanishing, "Enough of this!"_

"Beta...?" A voice came, disfigured, coming from all directions at once and originating from nowhere. "Beta... Wake up..." The voice became clearer. It was Alex D.! "Beta! Can you hear me?"


	15. Chapter Thirteen: The Price of Glory

**Trials of Beta**_  
Chapter Thirteen: The Price of Glory_

Beta slowly moved his head, opening his eyes then shutting them again as the light stung him. "Good, you're awake." Said Alex. He was somewhere to Beta's right, but he couldn't tell exactly until his eyes got used to the light again. He was on his back, and it felt like they were moving, like riding on an elevator.

"It's bright." He said, his voice hoarse.

"Ya don't say? Don't worry your eyes will adjust." Alex said, chuckling.

"Where are we?" He began to regain the sensation in his extremities. Soon he would be able to wiggle his toes and fingers again.

"We're still in the... Whatever this thing is. It's like a huge spaceship, bigger then both Pioneers put together! Uriko healed you, then her and Yuno distracted the monsters while I got you to a safe place." Alex updated the FOmar as he gained his bearings.

"What was that thing that hit me?"

"Some sort of mutant bull, my guess... It just refused to die! Good lord, I nearly wept with joy when it finally went down. Heh! We're on our ways back to Yuno and Uriko now. Can you stand up?"

"I... I think so." Tentatively, Beta pushed himself to his feet, and was nearly knocked back down when Kilala, his Sato mag, rushed him and started nuzzling his neck. "Kilala!" Beta instantly smiled and petted the cat-like Mag affectionately.

"It hasn't left your side since that thing attacked you," the elevator they were on stopped, and the organic like doors slide open, "Floor three, tools, hardware, hostile aliens hell bent on destroying us." Alex joked as he and Beta stepped off. The area was clear of hostiles. "Looks clear. Oh, here's your staff. I snagged it for you."

The rod weapon was strapped to Alex's back. Thusly equipped with both his Mag and Shadow Rod, Beta felt more comfortable and less exposed. "Okay. Where is Uriko and Yuno?"

"Only one way to find out. C'mon," They didn't have to go far before the sound of a Repeater firing filled the air, followed by Yuno screaming curses quite loudly, using obscenities Beta didn't even knew existed. "Sounds like she's in trouble. Beta, step on it!" Alex said as he quickened his pace to a full out run, Beta in tow.

Passing through a hallway and a set of large double doors, Beta and Alex stumbled onto a scene straight out of a war movie. Bodies lay scattered haphazardly across the ground, many of them missing large chucks of flesh, while others were either burnt crispy or frozen into a block of ice. Blood and gore hung from everywhere possible, and on reflex Beta almost lost his lunch, but somehow managed to keep it down. It appeared they were in some sort of reactor room; large cylinder devices lined the walls to either side of the walkway, arcs of electricity jumping from one to the other. Beta estimated it was a good 50 yards from one end to the other, with more then a handful of guardians in the way, and more phasing in every second.

The cause of all this carnage was visible enough, about midway between the two opposing doors stood Yuno, a Repeater in one hand, and a Lockgun pistol in the other. Using a mixture of hand-to-hand combat techniques and dual handed gunplay, she managed to hold her position from the waves of stout defenders constantly assaulting her. Uriko's prone body lay on the ground under Yuno, who appeared to be protecting the FOmarl from the monsters. _Did something happen to Uriko?!_ Beta wondered silently as he tightened his grip on his Shadow Rod and quickened his pace to match Alex's.

"Yuno! We're coming up behind you!" Alex shouted ahead, informing the Ranger of their presence.

"Hurry it up! Uriko's been hurt!" Yuno shouted back, spinning on her heels, bringing both guns to bear on a La Dimension trying to attack her with it's blade arms. Pulling the triggers on both weapons at once, the La Dimension was blasted back by the force of the weapons, the majority of its chest vaporized by the energy bullets.

Calling from within himself a Rafoie spell, Beta extends one hand forward, aiming the wide area fire spell at a tight knit group of La Demenians a bit away from Yuno and Uriko. The victim of his spell suddenly burst into flames, a fiery ball of death expanding outwards from itself, engulfing several others around it, taking all of them down with one fell swoop.

The group surrounding Yuno was light, not a living wall like one might expect, but just a light scattering trying to attack her from all sides at once but failing miserably. Cutting down any in his way, Alex slew a path of death up to Yuno and Uriko. Upon seeing Beta, Yuno immediately pointed at Uriko. "Heal her!" She barked, pushing up her glasses to rest on the bridge of her nose. They kept slipping down, and every so often, she'd pause to push them back up, causing the FOmar to wonder why she just didn't get her eyes fixed.

Kneeling next to Uriko, conscious of the small pool of blood she was lying in, Beta took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the Resta spell flowing from his hands, expanding out to include himself, Alex and Yuno in it's healing effects. But the warm healing light did not pass over Uriko. "Um... I can't heal her! Only the Masters can resurrect the dead!"

Beta cringed. Even with all the noise and the distance he was from her, he could hear Yuno grid her teeth, and he swore he could hear something snap in her head. Guns slipped from hands gone numb, clattering to the alien metal floor. It was as if a great weight was placed on Yuno's shoulders, her knees buckling as she fell to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes, trailing down her cheeks and falling to the ground. She clenched both her fists, doubling over as she repeatedly punched the floor as hard as she could, bloodying her knuckles.

Cutting the legs out from under a La Demenian whom got too close, Alex looked up just in time to see two La Dimensions close in on either side of Yuno. Beta was in no position to assist, dealing with problems of his own, and he himself couldn't get to Yuno in time to do anything. The only he could do was try to warn her. _What the hell is she doing anyways?_ "YUNO! Watch out!"

Yuno stared at the ground, some of her blood staining it crimson. She was barely aware of anything happening around her. _She's dead... No. Uriko can't be dead... I refuse to believe it!_

"YUNO! YUNO WAKE UP!" Alex screamed as the two La Demenians closed on either side of her, blocking his view of her.


	16. Chapter Fourteen: The Reflecting Pool

**Trials of Beta  
**_Chapter Fourteen: The Reflecting Pool_

"Mother! Father! I made it! I was accepted! The Ranger's Academy accepted me!" Yuno exclaimed as she burst through the door into her home on Corel. All of sixteen years old, she was the proper age to attend the Ranger's Academy. Pulling her long, blue hair out of the ponytail she had it tied in, she slipped off her shoes and ran barefooted into the living room, where her parents and younger sister were.

Her mother, the very essence of beauty and pose, turned her head to look at Yuno as she entered. "That's nice dear. Your sister was just accepted into the Force Academy." Yuno stopped dead in her tracks. On the wall was a banner. It read 'Congratulations Uriko!' Her eyes drifted to her sister, sitting on the floor, wearing a white and blue robe, her sapphire eyes sparkling with joy. She was two years younger then Yuno, and was gifted with the ability to use Magic, a gift Yuno herself didn't posses. Both her parents were Forces, which is why they always favored Uriko over herself.

"Father? Mother? But... What about me? I'm gonna be a Ranger!" Her voice broke, her hands starting to tremble.

"Yuno, dear. Be happy for your sister, not _everyone_ can be a Force." Her father, a stern man with dark hair and sharp crystal blue eyes, said.

"I..." Yuno caught herself, covering her mouth, spinning on her heels and fleeing the room, running to her room. She mouthed the words 'I hate you' as she ran, daring not to say it outloud...

* * *

Staring up at the ceiling of her dorm room, Yuno sighed, every part of her body exhausted. A year has passed since she was accepted into the Ranger's Academy, and she was proud of the progress she was making. Closing her eyes, Yuno prepared to go to sleep. But a sudden knock at her window put a stop to that. Sighing in frustration, Yuno swung her feet away from the cot and hopped to her feet, moving to the window and opening it. As she knew, Uriko was on the other side. Stepping aside, she let Uriko have room to step through the window. "Don't you ever call before just dropping by?"

"I'm sorry." She said as she stepped into the room, her eyes averted down.

"It's okay. Go ahead, sit down. You want something to drink?" Yuno offered.

"No. I just came here to tell you that... That I'm leaving the Academy." Uriko said, her tone sad and heavy.

"You're WHAT?"

"It's... It's too tough. I can't make the cut. I'm not good enou- ACK!" Yuno was suddenly upon Uriko, shoving her backwards into the cot, holding her down by the shoulders.

"Oh no you're not! I won't let you! You're Uriko! You always were the favorite. More then that, you're my sister!" She said, her tone firm and resolute, "Mother and father always pampered you, gave you everything. I never had anything handed to me, I had to earn it myself. And now that mother and father aren't around to hold your hand, you're going to quit? Oh no, no sister of mine is going to be a quitter! You march right back to your academy, and if it's too tough, YOU toughen up! You're more then good enough!"

Uriko trembled, staring up at Yuno. She then turned her head to the side. "You're right. I'm sorry Yuno. I won't leave the academy."

"Good... You can sleep here tonight. I'll drive you back to the academy in the morning." Yuno said, standing up, letting Uriko sit back up again.

* * *

"Happy birthday to me... Happy birthday to me..." Yuno sang to herself. It was her eighteenth birthday, and she made it a family only occasion. Except her family wasn't there. It just happened that Uriko's graduation ceremony was today. The fact that neither of her parents were there showed who they thought was more important. "I hate them..."

* * *

The sky was cloudy overhead, fat raindrops falling to the cemetery. Yuno stood in front of two headstones. They were new, her parents funeral which she didn't attend. "Why? Wasn't I special enough? Why did you always favor Uriko? You didn't even come to MY birthday party or MY graduation ceremony! And let me tell you something about your precious Uriko! She was going to quit her Force training three years ago, but I talked her out of it. But I didn't do it for you. I did it for HER!" She sniffled, the raindrops masking the tears on her face. "I hate you! I hate both of you!"

Her chest heaving, Yuno left the headstones, finding her sister Uriko at the entrance to the cemetery. "Come on Uriko, I'll take care of you now. I'll always take care of you."

* * *

_I promised I'd always take care of her! I... I failed..._ The La Demenians closed in to deliver the killing blow to Yuno. Or that was their intention, at least. Growling, fury replacing grief, Yuno gathered herself and sprang up into a jump, swinging her legs into a horizontal splits, kicking both monsters at the same time. Landing on her feet, she dropped into a crouch, sweep kicking the monster on her left, knocking its legs out from under it. The one of her right swung its bladearm in a downward arc, glancing Yuno's shoulder as she twisted her body out of the way. Slapping the blade with her palm, Yuno smashed both fists into the monster's midsection, then spun around, slamming her fists into its side again.

Her guns were still on the floor. Kicking them up, she snatched both and swung her arms out as the La Demenians rose up form her attack. "Game over. I win." She said she pulled the triggers on both weapons, the Repeater spitting out a succession of three Photon bullets.

"Yuno! Let's go! We can't stay here, we have to move on!" Beta said, suddenly appearing next to her.

"Not without Uriko! Hold them, I'm getting her." Yuno turned and knelt, holstering her guns and lifting Uriko's body up onto her shoulders. "Let's get out of here!"

"Couldn't agree with you more." Alex said, retreating with Yuno and Beta.


	17. Chapter Fifteen: The Light at the End of...

**Trials of Beta  
**_Chapter Fifteen: The Light at the End of the Tunnel_

Beta and Alex stood at the elevator door, Yuno sitting on the floor with Uriko on her lap. The car crawled deeper into the ancient ship. Beta glanced at Yuno, gulped and spoke. "Yuno... I'm really, really sorry about your Hunting Partner. I wished... I wished there was something I could have done to help her."

Yuno blinked, then looked up at the FOmar. "Beta..." She said softly, moving Uriko off her lap and standing to her feet in front of him.

"Hmmm?" He said.

Yuno's left foot suddenly flew up, impacting Beta squarely on the chin with a high kick, causing the FOmar to stagger back into the door and slip to the ground into an unconscious heap. "She wasn't just my Hunting Partner, asshole. She was my sister!"

There was a whirl of movement, a hiss as something ignited to life and Yuno found Alex's Ice Brand at her neck. "Bitch, you didn't have to hit him like that." He said, his words icy cold.

"I'll do as I please, when I please, to whomever I please," She said, matching Alex's glare with one just as cold, "And call me a bitch one more time, I'll plant a Photon Bullet between your eyes, One Arm."

The stand-off was short lived, cut short by Beta groaning and shaking his head. "Ugh... What the hell hit me?" He said, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"I did." Yuno said, casting a glance at Alex before stepping back to be with her sister. Alex grunted, then doused his Brand, putting the hilt back on his hip.

"What'd I do?" He asked, pushing himself back to his feet.

"Does it matter? Don't ever do it again." Yuno said, sitting and stroking Uriko's hair with one hand, whispering 'I'll take care of you, I've always took care of you and I always will.' Alex arched an eyebrow, watching the Ranger's curious behavior. _She's losing it. I don't think we can trust her anymore._

They rode in silence until the elevator reached the bottom, the only sound being Yuno whispering to Uriko. Once the car stopped, the door slid up into the ceiling.

"I've been waiting for you." Came HK-55's voice, the Soul Eater scythe resting on her shoulder. Behind her were three Delsabers, courtesy of Dark Falz.

"YOU!" Beta said, the pain in the lower half of his face completely forgotten.

"Yes, weakling. Behind me is the teleporter that leads to Dark Falz Himself. But you'll never get that far. I'll kill each of you, then be with my Master."

Alex frowned, igniting his Ice Brand. "Words are cheap, HUcasel." He stepped forward off the elevator.

"Yes, they are." She said, swinging her scythe into a ready position.

"Beta, let me handle her. You take care of the Delsabers." He whispered out the side of his mouth to Beta.

"No! I will fight HK! She killed Lunehhy!" Beta said, clasping his Shadow Rod with both hands.

"And she'll kill you if you fight her. Now, do as I say." Alex took a deep breath, then charged forward, letting out a vicious war cry as he closed on HK-55, both vanishing as the ship phased them somewhere else.

The three Delsabers leapt forward high into the air, coming crashing down around Beta, the ground shaking with the force of the triple impact, nearly toppling Beta. Growling, Beta swung his Rod out, hitting the nearest Delsaber on it's head. He swung his other hand out, a Gefoie spell leaping from his hand. The large orb of flame spiraled away from his hand in an ever-increasing loop, hitting each of the three Delsabers repeatedly. Pushing past the one he had hit, Beta ran beyond them and spun around, seeing one of the Delsabers leaping at him. As it fell down on him, Beta threw forth his hand, a cone of icy frost flying from it, enveloping the Delsaber and freezing it solid.

Beta dived out of its way as the large chuck of ice crashed into the floor, shattering into a million pieces. _One down, two to go!_ "Hey! Over here!" He called, drawing Lunehhy's Bravace. The two remaining Delsabers, parts of their dark armor like skin still smoldering, began to walk to Beta. Bringing the Bravace to bear on the nearest, Beta drew in a deep breath, then squeezing the trigger. The Delsaber suddenly stopped, bringing up its left arm, the yellow Photon bullet impacting the energy shield there, doing no damage what so ever.

"Crap!" Beta cursed, now remembering about their shields.

Suddenly the second Delsaber staggered and fell forward, gaping holes in its body. Yuno was behind it, a Repeater in her hand. The other Delsaber turned to face this new threat, giving Beta the opening he needed. Smirking, he brought the Bravace up, aiming for the Delsaber's head and squeezing the trigger...

* * *

The first thing Alex noticed about where he was taken to was that it was dark. Then he became of other things, like the presence of HK-55 just across from him. They were alone in this room. It was just her and him. Gripping his Ice Brand with his one hand, Alex glared at HK-55.

"Why are we here?" He asked HK-55.

"So no one will interrupt us." She answered, then took a step forward, swinging her scythe in a slow, deliberate uppercut, easily blocked by Alex's Ice Brand. "Give it up. A handicapped old hunter like you'll never defeat me."

Alex didn't waste breath on answering, instead shoving the blade of the scythe down and stepping forward.

HK matched his move, taking a step back, twirling her scythe with one hand then grabbing the end with her free hand.

"What? No witty come back? Come come, if I'm going to kill you, the least you can do is think up an interesting insult." HK said in a snide tone.

Alex narrowed his eyes. _She's playing with me. That's her first mistake. Damn rookies..._

He was already within striking distance of HK, his Brand held off to his side. Relaxing his body, Alex let the tension flow from his body like old clothing, willing his weapon to be an extension of his body. In a single, quick fluid motion, Alex's Brand snapped up in an effortless swipe, the very tip of the Photon energy blade raking across HK's armored torso, slagging the armor plating there. He planned to continue the swipe into a downward slash and into a final killing thrust, but a sudden rush from HK threw the chain of attacks off, burying her shoulder into his chest and driving him back right into a wall. HK leapt back, out of Alex's strike range, twirling her scythe into both hands and swinging the crescent bladed end at Alex.

The wind was knocked from his lungs as HK drove him into a wall. He barely had time to let his legs fall from under him, dodging HK's scythe swing by a fraction of a hair. Landing on his back, Alex rolled to the side, kicking off the ground with his feet and regaining his upright posture. HK was already upon him, using a downward chop. Sliding one foot back, Alex twisted his body, then shoved his shoulder against the side of the blade as it came down next to him, lashing out with his Brand at the same time.

HK ducked the thrust, dropping into a crouch, then leaping up, arching her back and going into a back flip, kicking out with her feet, hitting Alex in the chest and face with both feet. She completed the back flip, landing again on her feet.

Staggering back, Alex moved forward again, keeping close to HK so she couldn't fully use her scythe. Spreading her hands out on the shaft of the scythe, HK brought it up, parallel to the ground and shoved it forward as Alex came to her. The blow caught him unaware, pushing him back again. Switching her grip, HK stepped forward, raking the scythe down on Alex as he was unbalanced by her last attack. The scythe buried itself into his side just below his ribcage at a 45 degree angle, invoking a scream of pain from the Hunter, his Brand dropping from his hand.

"What did I say? I'm more then you can handle." HK said.

Grunting with strain, Alex grabbed the blade with his hand, then pulled it out and pushing it away from him. "It'll take more then that to take an old dog like me down." He kicked the Brand up, then snatched it out of the air.

"You're good. Better then I expected. A shame you joined the losing side. One last jump strike, consider it a favor, old man." HK said as she started to walk backwards into the darkness.

Wincing as icy daggers of pain shot through his body, Alex repeated the motion, walking backwards. He knew what she was going to do. Stopping after a few steps, he waited until he heard the sound of HK-55 running forward, then followed suite. As soon as he saw HK, he gathered his legs and leapt at her as she leapt at him. The two Hunters crossed each other in mid-air, each striking the other once, then both landed some feet away. The two remained standing for a moment, then Alex staggered and fell. HK turned around.

"You are good..." She said, as the upper half of her torso started to slide off the lower half. Her two halves fell away from each other, the Soul Eater slipping from her unfeeling hands.

Lying face down on the ground, Alex heaved and coughed. "I think I'll take a little nap..." He closed his eyes, his breathing slow and deep.

* * *

Beta and Yuno stood before the large teleporter. Yuno looked at Beta briefly, then at the teleporter.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

"I still think we should wait for Alex to come back..." He said, then sighed, "But we've been waiting for twenty minutes. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Nodding, Yuno's hand suddenly found Beta, clasping it tightly. "Let's do this." She said, then both stepped forward. Everything went white, then they found themselves someplace else...


	18. Chapter Sixteen: The Nearest Place to th...

**Trials of Beta  
**_Chapter Sixteen: The Nearest Place to the Heavens_

Yuno and Beta appeared in a small cave, more like an alcove really, the opening leading out onto a field of grass and flowers, sunlight shining down on the meadow, surrounded on all sides by sheer cliff face. It was like something out of a dream. It couldn't be real, but yet it was. Beta stepped out from the cave, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face.

"Oh... That's nice... Really nice." He said.

"I've forgotten what fresh air smells like..." Yuno said, drawing in a deep breath, she then looked at Beta, chuckling. "You're filthy."

Beta smirked, "You're not exactly Miss Clean yourself, Yuno."

Looking around, Beta searched for a water source, but yet there was none. He sighed. "I suppose we gotta climb up now?" He asked no one in general.

"No... Let's not. Let's just... Stay here. For a while." Yuno said, lying down in a bed of flowers. Beta sighed, then plopped on the ground next to the green haired Ranger.

"This would have been a..." Beta caught himself just short of finishing his sentence, remembering what happened in the elevator.

"A great burial place for Uriko? Yeah, I agree with you." Yuno said, staring up at the crystal clear sky, not a cloud in sight, "Too late now, and I don't see a way back... Hey Beta?" Yuno rolled on her side, propping up her head with her hands.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for being a bitch all those times. You're really a nice guy." She said.

Beta blushed, nodding his head quickly. "Thank you."

"You're really cute, too." She giggled at Beta's obvious embarrassment.

"Uh... Th-thank you." He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing about the meadow. In the center was a tall monolith, runes etched all over the surface of it. "When'd that get there?" He honestly couldn't recollect seeing the Monolith when he and Yuno first came here, and that's not something one could easily miss seeing.

"I don't know, but it wasn't there a short while ago." Yuno said, pushing herself to her feet, Beta following suit.

"You feel that? It's like its calling to us." Beta said, his tone uneasy. It was true, he felt... Drawn to the monolith, like something was calling to them to go closer to it.

"I feel it too. What do you think?"

"I don't know. Let's go check it out. As Alex once said, 'The brave accomplish more in a minute then the cowardly do in a lifetime.'" He took a step forward, but was halted by Yuno grabbing his arm.

"Beta! I'm scared..." She said, her body trembling slightly.

"It's okay. I'm scared too. But... Everything will be okay. I just know it will."

"It's a great place to die, isn't it?" Came a female voice. Beta and Yuno spun on the source, seeing a red haired girl with a red armband on her right arm, standing by one of the cliffs.

"You're Red Ring Rico!" Beta exclaimed.

"In the flesh." She started walking to the monolith. "I've... I've tried resisting Dark Falz. But his will... It drives me crazy... Screws with your thoughts. I... I cannot resist anymore... He's in my head, always talking, commanding. I'm really, really sorry you two are here. When I kill you, know that I didn't mean, nor want to."

Rico touched the Monolith. Both her and the Monolith began to flash bright colors of light, then the meadow, the cliffs, everything around them, shattered like a virtual reality program, revealing the true location. They were in some sort of plateau in the middle of a wasteland, nothing but darkness and death as far as the eye could see. Then came the screaming. Millions of voices, all were screaming in terrible, great agony. The source seem to be coming from directly below them, so Beta looked down, and saw that the ground he stood on was a living carpet of screaming faces. The faces of the crew of Pioneer 1! Yuno retched as she too saw what they stood on. The Monolith began to billow smoke and debris as it fell apart, scattering into a thousand smaller pieces, spinning rebus shapes, sprouting spikes. One of these pieces landed between him and Yuno. It flashed red, then exploded, the force knocking the two away from each other. Beta's shoulder broke his fall, and he slid a few feet. Scrambling to his feet, he saw that Yuno was already up, a Repeater in her hand as she blasted madly at the pieces all around her. Cursing and throwing himself flat as a volley of Photon bullets flew his way, he covered his head and yelled.

"Watch your fire! You almost hit me!" Snatching up his Rod, Beta swung and knocked one of the Monolith pieces away, it crashing into a handful of others and exploding. "What the hell's happening?" He screamed.

"I don't know! Just keeping shooting!" Yuno replied, moving to be closer to Beta, shooting at anything that got too close to her or him. Suddenly, the pieces fell, melting into the ground.

"It's over?" Beta asked tentatively.

"I don't know..." Yuno turned around in a full circle. The screams suddenly became ear drum shattering louder, causing them both to cover their ears and double over. After the screaming came a blindingly bright light, and then all went to darkness...


	19. Final Chapter: The Last Act

**Trials of Beta  
**_Final Chapter: The Last Act_

Beta screamed and struggled up into a sitting position, his arms and legs trashing against what tried to hold him down. He couldn't see, something was wrong with his eyes.

Something grabbed his arm, and he reacted, swinging his other arm and punching whatever it was. Then his other arm was grabbed by something else, and then he was forced back down.

"Damn! He gave me a black eye!" He heard a voice say. He recognized it as belonging to one of the doctors on the Pioneer 2.

"Calm down! You're safe." Came a nurse's voice. He felt something cold press against his neck, then a hiss sound reached his ear. Suddenly he felt good, happy almost, and relaxed, nestling into the comfortable hospital bed.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice horse and dry.

"A Ranger and an Android brought you in. You've been asleep for nearly three days."

"What happened to Red Ring Rico?" He continued his questioning, his vision starting to clear.

"I wouldn't know. I'm just a nurse. Wait here, I'll be back soon."

"Oh." He could see dimly now at last. Vague shapes and blobs of color. Nothing distinct, but at least he could see.

"What are we going to do about this one?" He heard a nurse say over to his left somewhere. He turned his head to look and see what she was talking about, but they were behind a curtain.

"He's definitely going to need a replacement arm. That looks self-inflicted, doesn't it? Why would he do that?" He heard the doctor say.

"I don't know. Wow... Look at this chest wound. Whatever did this to him meant business." The nurse commented idly.

Beta's vision was progressively getting better. Sighing, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Here, hold this here... Okay, there goes the body armor..." The doctor said.

"It matches his hair."

"Just put it on the ground somewhere... It's amazing he's still alive. Look at all these scars. Hmmmm... Think we should do something about that scar on his eye?"

Beta heard the sound of something hitting the floor. Risking a look, he could see some blue body armor laying on the ground, partly hidden by the curtain. He knew someone who had blue body armor. Or was that a dream? He wasn't sure anymore. Everything was indistinct, like it was a dream.

_Probably the drugs they gave me._ He reasoned calmly.

The doctor and nurse continued talking as they worked on the patient next to him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was forgetting something important.

_What happened? I... No, we. It was me and Yuno. We were fighting... Something. What happened? Did we win? How did I end up here? Where's Yuno?_

Grunting, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his head with his hands.

Suddenly it all came rushing back to him, like someone had opened a floodgate of memories.

* * *

Dark Falz's form was truly a hideous sight. A human torso sticking out from a bloated body sitting on a set of eight fat tendrils, mouths on the end of each. These mouths would spit pieces of the Monolith out every so often. His body was a dull gray color, with splotches of yellow that flared brightly, and yet, it was always in a state of decay and regeneration, a constant, grotesque state of death and rebirth. The entire thing was as large as several buildings stacked on top of each other, and as wide as such.

Beta gasped as he laid eyes upon the beast before them. "How are supposed to kill THAT?!"

"Don't ask me, I left my 'How to Kill Gods for Dummies' book at home. Just... Shoot it!"

Beta shook his head as Yuno let loose with her Repeater. Was shooting things her answer to everything?

* * *

The pain in his head subsided as the memory ended. But Beta still had unanswered questions. It was in there, he knew it was. But the medicine the nurse had given him to calm him down was interfering with his ability to recall what happened exactly.

Laying down again, Beta resigned himself to sleep...

* * *

Dark Falz loamed over the two humans, a God among the insects. Yuno began immediately making hit and runs strikes against him, but to no avail. Beta let loose with all of his most powerful spells, calling down the elements ice, fire, and lightening upon the God. But all for naught.

"We're not affecting it!" Beta shouted to Yuno, watching as his Gafoie spell fizzled upon the God's bloated form.

"I can see that! Shit!" Yuno cursed as she dived out of the way of one of its tendrils, fanning her Repeater back and forth across the limb as she fled from it. Dark Falz seemed to be focusing mainly on her. "For the record, we REALLY should have come up with a plan beforehand!"

"Yuno! Watch out!" Beta shouted as Dark Falz bent his body over, attempting to grab Yuno. He was in no position to help her, a good hundred yards between him and her. But he started running anyways, pumping his arms for speed.

Yuno spun and stopped, screaming as she fired her Repeater at Dark Falz's face, or what she assumed was his face. "Eat this!" She could hear Beta screaming at her, but the roar of her Repeater as well as she own screaming drowned him out.

The constant hail of Photon bullets chipped away at the human-like face of Dark Falz as he bent and snatch Yuno up in his hands. She screamed definitely at him, still firing her Repeater despite its ineffectiveness. Like a rag doll he flung her aside, sending her body flying through the air end over end as such.

Time froze for Beta as he watched Dark Falz hurl Yuno away like so much garbage. He could see her, the look on her face, her mouth opened in a cry, screaming his name. He was helpless to save her.

"Kill me." Came a voice in his head. Suddenly his attention was drawn to Dark Falz. Inside Dark Falz was Red Ring Rico, the one thing that linked him to this realm. She was staring straight at Beta, "Kill me now. It's your only chance!"

Tears stung Beta's eyes as he formed another Gafoie spell. Rico stared at him, then nodded slowly as the fireball started expanding from her body outwards, engulfing Dark Falz whole.

The spell incinerated Rico, Dark Falz rapidly decaying into nothingness.

Beta collapsed, alone on the plateau. Tears stung at him then flowed freely down his face. "They're all dead... All of them... Alex, Lunehhy, Uriko, Yuno... Dead... I... I..." He wasn't sure if his mind had done so, or if his hand was acting of its own fire will, but it was grasping Lunehhy's Bravace pistol. He stared at the gun in his hand, then put the barrel into his mouth, closing his eyes...

* * *

Beta struggled upright out of his dream, sobbing loudly. "NO!" He screamed, tears streaming down his face.

"Again?! Nurse, double his dosage! For love of- Someone hold him down!" He heard the doctor say. His vision was blurry again, he felt people holding him down, and something cold pressing against his neck again. Everyone I ever cared about is dead...

Darkness consumed him...


	20. Epilogue

**Trials of Beta  
**_Epilogue_

Beta drifted in and out of consciousness for the next several weeks, bed ridden in the hospital.

"Beta... Time to wake up." A indistinct voice said into his ear. He was semi-conscious, barely aware of his surroundings. "Come on, you can't stay like this forever. Get up already! What the hell do you quacks got him on?" The voice faded, as did Beta's grip on reality as he drifted back into blackness.

Beta wasn't sure how long he's been in the hospital. One morning, he just awoke, his mind and vision clear. Sitting up slowly, he glanced around, taking in all he saw. Over in one corner of his room, a pink haired nurse was curled up in a chair, catching a quick catnap.

He groaned, and tried to move his legs, but they refused to respond. The nurse stirred and murmured something. Sighing, Beta laid back down into the bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't feel like sleeping...

He guessed it was about noon when the door to his room opened again. The nurse had left just an hour prior. Beta didn't bother to look at who came in.

"Hmmm... Hey. Thought you guys said he'd be awake by now?" Beta's eyes snapped open as he heard the voice. He immediately sat bolt right up, staring at the person who had spoke.

Alex D. blinked then grinned as he saw Beta sit up in his bed. "Well, look who decided to join the living." He said.

"But... Didn't HK..." Beta stammered out.

"Kill me? No. I'm too hard to kill. Sides, you still haven't paid me. I never die on a job I'm not paid for, it's just bad business. Heh..." He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. Beta blinked several times, finally noticing Alex's cybernetic arm.

"Are we the only..."

"Ones who made it? Hmmm... Beta, think you can walk?" Alex said.

Beta shook his head. "My legs won't work."

Alex nodded slowly, then disappeared out the door, returning with a hoverchair. "Hop on then. Got something to show you."

He helped Beta onto the chair, then carted him out of his room.

"Who else made it?" Beta asked a second time.

"It's a surprise. Just, around this corner, through this door, and here we are!"

Uriko and Yuno were here, standing in the waiting room, alive, healthy, and clean. Beta 's jaw dropped. "But! But, you..."

Uriko smiled softly. "My will to live was strong. My soul did not leave my body when I died. A Master Force was able to revive me when my body was brought back here. Yuno was found just last week, wounded but alive."

Yuno smiled at him, then walked up to Beta and hugged him. "Thank you, Beta. Because of you, the threat of Dark Falz is finally over. All of the animals on Ragol have returned to normal. It's safe now... We're all heroes!"

Overcome with emotion, Beta was content to merely nod, putting his arms around Yuno and holding her. Lunehhy was gone forever, but he would not let her death be in vain. He smiled brightly, resolving that from this day forward, he would live his life to its fullest...

-Fin!-


End file.
